Man found dead in yard after drive-by shooting in northern Beaufort County

A man was found dead in the yard of a northern Beaufort County home after a shooting Wednesday night.

Lawrence Burgess, 43, was found unresponsive with gunshot wounds when officers arrived at a home on Reunion Road just before 10 p.m., Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a release. Witnesses told investigators someone shot Burgess from a vehicle in the road before driving off.

Officers found casings in the road where shots were fired. Investigators are still interviewing witnesses for a description of the vehicle and other details, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Burgess was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived, the release said. A forensic autopsy at Medical University of South Carolina is scheduled Saturday.

Anyone with information on the shooting can contact Lance Cpl. Robert Byrd at 843-255-3429 or Crimestoppers at 843-554-1111.

Stephen Fastenau

The Island Packet

706-631-6079

Stephen Fastenau covers Beaufort, Port Royal and the Sea Islands for The Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet. He has worked for the newspapers since 2010 in various roles as a reporter and assistant editor. His work has been recognized with awards from the S.C. Press Association, including first place for public service as part of a large team reporting on environmental contamination in a Beaufort military community. Fastenau previously wrote for the Columbia County News-Times and Augusta Chronicle. He studied journalism and political science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia and lives in Beaufort. Support my work with a digital subscription