Case moves forward in charges from October shooting in Burton that injured one person
A 37-year old man who police say shot another man and sent him to the hospital in October was in court Friday for a preliminary hearing to determine if the case against him will continue.
Mark Wilson, 37, of Seabrook, was charged on Nov. 2 with attempted murder, possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime and possession of a weapon by a felon. Wilson faces additional weapons charges after he was allegedly found with a pistol when he was arrested.
On Oct. 10, deputies responded to a home on Parker Drive after receiving a call about a gunshot victim. When they arrived, they found a man, identified in the hearing as Jordan Gunter, who had been shot in the arm “through and through,” Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. David Tafoya testified at the hearing.
Witnesses at the home identified Wilson as the one who shot Gunter, Tafoya said. The shooting stemmed from an argument, sheriff’s spokesman Major Bob Bromage told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette at the time. Gunter was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital and later released.
Gunter told police he had Wilson and his girlfriend over to his house for a “social gathering,” Tafoya said. After fighting with his girlfriend, Wilson left only to come back, Tafoya said, “shouting expletives and threats.”
Wilson came back again 30 minutes later to stop in front of the residence and Gunter went outside to tell him to go. Gunter then felt “a very warm sensation in his arm,” Tafoya said, and realized he had been shot.
“He (Wilson) knew Mr. Gunter did not have a weapon,” Tafoya said. “He said Mr. Gunter threw a beer bottle at his car, but it didn’t hit his car.”
Deputies found the car, a white Toyota Camry registered to his mother, that he allegedly used the night of the shooting, Tafoya said. A bullet casing was found in the car behind the driver’s seat, he said.
Police obtained warrants to gain access to numerous audio recordings from Facebook, Tafoya said, where Wilson allegedly admits to the shooting. During his arrest, Wilson told police that he had a “pistol in his waistband,” Tafoya said. Wilson did not have a concealed weapons permit and is “prohibited to carry a pistol,” Tafoya said.
Wilson’s defense attorney, Matthew Paulk, asked Tafoya whether this could be self-defense. “Mr. Wilson claims he was scared because Mr. Gunter was approaching his vehicle in the roadway,” Tafoya said.
Gunshot residue results and other DNA evidence is still pending in this case, he said.
Beaufort County Magistrate Judge Jean McCormick ruled Friday that there was enough probable cause for the charges to continue.
As of Sunday, Wilson remained in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
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MOREWhy we did this story:
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers are making an effort to update stories we’ve published where criminal charges were filed. Criminal charges mean law enforcement had probable cause to arrest someone, but a court decides on a person’s guilt and conviction. If our newspaper has written about a crime where charges were brought, we want to use public records to show what happened in that case. If you think a crime story featuring you or someone you know needs updating, email Sofia Sanchez at ssanchez@islandpacket.com or newsroom@islandpacket.com.
