Arrest made in fatal shooting of Beaufort Co. dad; fight began over card game, police say
A man was charged with murder and attempted murder Monday night following a dispute that police say started over a card game, a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office news release says.
Terrance Morgan, 30, of Grays Hill was booked into Beaufort County Detention Center Monday.
A 26-year-old Seabrook man, Medicus Watson, died in the shooting that happened just before 2 a.m. Monday on Roberts Lane in Burton, officials said.
Morgan and a second person were injured during the shootout. Both were transported to an area hospital.
Watson was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Beaufort County deputy coroner Debbie Youmans.
“During the dispute Morgan presented a firearm and, a short time later, there was an exchange of gunfire outside of the shed where the card game was held,” the release says. “The exchange of gunfire resulted in the death of Watson, as well as the wounding of the unnamed man (still hospitalized) and Morgan.”
Watson
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Watson had a 1-year-old daughter and worked at Madison’s restaurant in Port Royal, his family told The Island Packet.
“He was always giving you a hug,” Watson’s sister, Wadia Rivers, said. “He was always willing to help everyone.”
His aunt, Charity Rivers-Jenkins, said Watson was a hard worker, driven and ambitious.
“This is rough,” Rivers-Jenkins said. “I want to go home and start the day all over. This is not how I want to start 2020.”
Watson’s cousin, Shanika Dortch, said he loved his daughter. People need to “put the guns down,” she said.
“There are better ways to resolve this around here. It doesn’t have to end in (multiple people) hurting: the doctors, the nurses, the families. It’s a chain reaction. It doesn’t quit.”
Investigation
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
About 10 a.m., while several investigators and patrol cars were still at the scene, 20 to 30 of Watson’s family members hovered around the crime scene tape. Their hearts were heavy as they shared memories of him. Conversation paused when jets from the nearby Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort flew over.
Investigators spoke with witnesses and processed the crime scene for forensic evidence, the release says. It says multiple cartridge casings were collected, as well as a variety of illegal drugs.
Arrest warrants, including one for possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, were issued by the Beaufort County magistrate Monday afternoon.
Late in the afternoon, Morgan was found and arrested at his Grays Hill home. He has yet to receive a bond hearing for the offenses.
Watson’s death is the latest in a string of homicides this month in Beaufort County.
Dimitri Weaver, a 17-year-old Port Royal resident, was fatally shot on Dec. 12 in a Beaufort neighborhood. No arrests have been made in Weaver’s death. The Beaufort Police Department is the lead investigation agency.
Trey Blackshear, an 18-year-old Hilton Head Island resident, was fatally shot on Dec. 23 in a Bluffton church parking lot. One person has been arrested in the shooting, which is being investigated by the Bluffton Police Department and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
“There is no indication based on the investigation that this is related to any recent shootings,” Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage said.
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 8:54 AM.
