Update: Suspect named in Bluffton shooting that killed 2 people Wednesday afternoon
Two people were killed in a Wednesday afternoon shooting near Bluffton Parkway, the Bluffton Police Department has confirmed. The suspected gunman has been identified as 33-year-old Bluffton man Orlando Odell Murphy.
Murphy was booked into the Beaufort County jail early Thursday morning on two counts of murder, two firearms charges and a pair of hit-and-run offenses. He is listed as a resident of Fuller Court, a short cul-de-sac off Simmonsville Road where the fatal shooting reportedly started.
At the time of his arrest, Murphy had two pending firearms charges stemming from an arrest in January 2022. One of those offenses indicates he unlawfully owned a gun as a convicted violent felon, which is considered an additional felony under South Carolina law. His arrest record extends back to 2007, including convictions for torture of animals and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Responding to Fuller Court just before 2 p.m., Bluffton police found two gunshot victims in the general area, who were pronounced dead after life-saving measures were attempted. One victim was found behind a residence on Fuller Court, while the other was found in the back of a parking lot for Builtmart, LLC, a construction supplier on Bluffton Parkway, said department spokesperson Sgt. Bonfiacio Perez.
Identities for the two deceased will be released by the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office after their next of kin has been notified, according to the Wednesday afternoon alert from the Bluffton Police Department.
Police believe Murphy is the only suspect in the shooting. The suspect was arrested during a traffic stop on his vehicle on Buckwalter Parkway, said Perez.
Bluffton Middle School, located off Simmonsville Road about a mile from the shooting, was placed on modified lockdown for just over an hour in response to the incident. The lockdown was lifted at 3:10 p.m., school district spokesperson Candace Bruder told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 4:38 PM.
