Beaufort County men charged with involvement in October gas station shooting, police say
Two Beaufort County men were arrested in connection with an October shooting at a Burton gas station that left a Sheldon resident with a gunshot wound, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Alexander Xavier Smalls, 24, of Beaufort, was charged Tuesday evening with attempted murder, aggravated breach of peace and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, jail records show.
Kennard Terry-Mitchell, 19, of Burton, was charged with attempted murder, first-degree domestic violence, aggravated breach of peace, and pointing and presenting firearms at a person.
Deputies arrived at the Enmarket gas station on Trask Parkway on Oct. 25 to find a 20-year-old Sheldon man with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.
In the days following the shooting, Smalls was identified as a suspect with help from the store’s security footage. Police said Smalls and the victim likely knew each other, and that the shooting was not a “random act of violence.” Terry-Mitchell was identified as a suspect after police received a tip from a family member, according to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
On Tuesday, police received a tip that Smalls and Terry-Mitchell were in a home on Fawnwood Lane in Seabrook. Deputies arrested the two on a number of outstanding warrants.
Terry-Mitchell’s first-degree domestic violence charge stems from January 2022, when police allege he pointed a gun at his then-girlfriend, according to Cpt. John Griffith of the Port Royal Police Department. He is charged with pointing and presenting because he was armed during the shooting but did not fire his gun, Viens clarified.
Prior to the October shooting, Smalls was out on bond after a 2021 incident in which he was charged with first-degree burglary and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He was also released on bond after an attempted murder charge in 2019.
As of noon Wednesday, Smalls and Terry-Mitchell were both in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 12:59 PM.
