Man injured in Beaufort-area shooting. He was the 5th person shot in the area in 5 days

One man was injured in a Wednesday night shooting in Burton, according to a news release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The man is one of five people shot within the Beaufort area since Saturday.

Deputies responded to a scene off Castle Rock Road around 8:40 p.m. and found one man wounded. Witnesses told them the shooting occurred in a separate location on St. Pauls Church Road, according to the release.

The injured man initially was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital then later flown to Medical University of South Carolina for treatment, according to officials with the Sheriff’s Office. He was reported to be in stable condition as of Thursday afternoon.

Investigators with the Sheriff’s Office later collected evidence at a location on St. Pauls Church Road.

“Although no subjects are in custody as of yet, there is focus in the investigation,” the news release from the Sheriff’s Office said.

The shooting is the most recent of three shooting incidents in the Beaufort area since Saturday.

In one of the other cases, deputies responded to a Grays Hill house party at about 6 a.m. Saturday after three people were shot.

Later, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, deputies received a report of a male body found on the side of Billy Hill Road in Burton. Investigators determined the man, Lamar Johnson, died from gunshot wounds.

Grays Hill shooting

Two of the three Gray’s Hill shooting victims remain hospitalized at the Medical University of South Carolina after bullets started flying at a party in a house known as “The Tunnel” on Bruce K. Smalls Drive.

The third victim was released from Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

The Tunnel is a gathering spot on Bruce K. Smalls Drive, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office news release and police report.

Facebook posts mentioning The Tunnel called for an after-party celebrating “A Night Against Crime” in March, and in August, someone promoted “Seafood Tuesdays” at the spot.

Deputies first received reports of a man suffering from a gunshot wound at the Burton Fire Station on Saturday. The victim had been driven to the fire station by a friend, a police report says.

The victim was being loaded into an EMS vehicle upon police arrival. Deputies were unable to retrieve any information from him.

“The only thing he was worried about was who was going to pick up his grandmother’s vehicle that was still parked at the incident location,” the report says.

The friend who drove the victim to the fire station refused to write a statement or give personal information, according to the police report. He told police he heard the gunshot while at the house party.

Two additional gunshot victims were driven to Beaufort Memorial Hospital by party attendees, according to the news release.

Deputies were able to determine that “The Tunnel” was where the incident took place.

“All available parties on scene were highly uncooperative and would only give vague statements,” the report said.

The owner of the residence at first told deputies the fight and shooting happened off his property, according to the report. He later told deputies the fight happened inside but the shooting outside.

Burton homicide

Only hours later, detectives traveled about 4 miles southeast to find the body of Johnson, 41. He was found shot on the side of Billy Hill Road in Burton, near where he resided, a police news release said.

An autopsy was performed Christmas Eve at the Medical University of South Carolina, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

“Forensic pathologists reported that Lamar Johnson’s cause of death was gunshot wounds and the manner of his death was homicide,” the release said.

Capt. Bob Bromage, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office, said there is no reason to believe the three shooting incidents are related.

Last month, a 28-year-old Afghanistan veteran from Beaufort was killed while attending a party at a hangout spot in Sheldon. Witnesses described shots flying everywhere during the incident that killed Nathaniel Scott Jr.

The body of a Burton teen, Deontay Alston, also was found shot off Castle Rock Road in September.

Anyone with information on the shootings may call the detectives listed below:

• Wednesday’s shooting — Cpl. Daniel DuHamel at 843-255-3430
• Grays Hill shooting — Lance Cpl. Dario Sosa at 843-255-3435
• Billy Hill Road shooting — Cpl. Jennifer Snider at 843-255-3421
• Sheldon shooting — Staff Sgt. Brandon Disbrow at 843 255-3407

Anyone wanting to remain anonymous and receive a possible reward may call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.

This story was originally published December 27, 2018 at 4:00 PM.