Neighbors “on edge” as police look for man who shot elderly jogger on quiet Beaufort street

A leaf-blower roared on Lafayette Street Monday — days after a 72-year-old woman was shot while jogging just after midday on the Beaufort street.

The Pigeon Point neighborhood is known as a quiet spot tucked behind Beaufort’s National Cemetery.

Residents enjoy amenities such as a boat landing, a park and county-operated sports fields.

Sylvia Thomas, a lifelong Beaufort resident, moved into a small cottage on Lafayette Street several years ago with her husband.

She heard the gunfire from inside her home. Her husband heard it from the front porch where he sat in a wheelchair.

Thomas said she’ll remain “on edge” until a suspect is caught.

But the location and victim’s age isn’t the only strange thing about the April 22 shooting.

The Shooting

A Beaufort Police Department Facebook post with a sketch of the shooter has been shared 17,000 times — more shares than any other post made by the department in it’s social media history.

The sketch shows a young, bearded shooter wearing a simple, button-up plaid shirt similar to one you might wear to church or the office on casual day.

“The shirt is as close an approximation of what he was wearing that the victim can recall, but she is positive on the facial characteristics,” a department news release said.

The apparent randomness of the act has shaken residents almost as much as the shooting itself.

These sort of things normally don’t happen here.

The victim told police she didn’t recognize the man who shot her, said department spokesperson Capt. George Erdell on Monday.

He previously said police have found no known relationship between the victim and shooter or a possible motive.

The man, described in his mid to late 20s, cut the victim off with his car as she jogged near the Basil Green Sports Complex.

He got out on the driver’s side of what police believe was a 2010 to 2012 Nissan Versa with a handgun.

He fired multiple shots, striking the jogger at least once.

She was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital and then, once stabilized, flown to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

The victim’s condition was unavailable Tuesday.

The Neighborhood

Linda Thompson used a leaf-blower to clean sand off Lafayette Street, where her home sits. She said the sand washes down the road whenever it rains.

A variety of plants are carefully placed across her yard, turning the entire space into an impeccably kept garden.

She moved to the Pigeon Point neighborhood two years ago.

Before she relocated, she studied crime stats online and was impressed with how little crime the area had.

“It is very quiet,” Thompson said.

Low crime was one of the many reasons she moved to the area she said is revitalizing.

Thompson said she still feels safe in the neighborhood, even with the recent shooting.

Still, she doesn’t take chances.

“I keep my doors locked,” Thompson said. “I always have.”

A few houses down, chickens clucked in Aaron Abercrombie’s backyard as he stood on a wrap-around porch across from the sport’s complex.

His family moved from the Charleston area in recent years into the neighborhood he describes as a pleasant mix of retirees and young families.

“Young children are always out riding bikes,” Abercrombie said.

He said he doesn’t know the victim but has often seen her jogging.

Abercrombie was at the store when the shooting happened. His wife, home at the time, didn’t hear the gunshots over the buzz of her sewing machine.

It is difficult to imagine the shooting happening on this street, Abercrombie said.

“It is scary,” he said.

Suspect Information

Police continue to look for the shooter described as being 5’8” and 5’10” with a slender build.

Security footage from the area show’s the suspected vehicle, drivenby the suspected shooter, has a dent on the back right quarter panel. The front quarter panel also appears to be separated from the front bumper.

Anyone with information may contact Investigator Joshua Dowling at 843-322-7950.

An anonymous tip line is also available at 843-322-7938.

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 3:24 PM.