Beaufort police arrest 2 after gunfire in McDonald’s parking lot
Beaufort police arrested two men after an apparent gunfight in a McDonald’s parking lot Wednesday night.
The two suspects, a 24-year-old Beaufort man and 35-year-old Burton man, were each charged with discharging a firearm within city limits.
The gunfire was heard around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday from outside the two-story McDonald’s restaurant at the intersection of Boundary Street and Robert Smalls Parkway (S.C. 170). The incident began as a verbal argument that escalated into people shooting at each other, according to Lt. Lori Evans, a spokesperson for the Beaufort Police Department.
No one was struck by the gunfire, Evans said. Officers were unsure about the exact number of shots that were fired, she added, but three shell casings were found in the area following the incident.
Police used witness statements to secure arrest warrants for Darling and Thomas, who were booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center in the early morning hours of Thursday. Both were released that afternoon, according to jail rosters.
Like all criminal offenses tied to Beaufort city ordinances, discharging a firearm within city limits is a misdemeanor. Additionally charges for Darling and Thomas are “potentially pending,” according to Evans.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers typically do not name those charged with misdemeanors unless they are in a position of authority or public trust.
