Halloween nightmare: Gunshots fired near scared, young Beaufort trick-or-treaters
A Beaufort man was arrested on a list of felony charges after allegedly shooting at a vehicle in a Beaufort neighborhood full of trick-or-treaters, sowing chaos and panic on Halloween night.
Paul Dominic Smith, 51, was charged just before midnight Oct. 31 with 11 counts of assault, 11 counts of assault battery of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent felony.
Police accused Smith of being drunk during the incident, charging him with public drunkenness and using a firearm while under the influence. He was also charged under Beaufort ordinances with discharging a firearm within city limits. All three are misdemeanors.
Beaufort police said Smith fired the shots during the climax of an argument “over a vehicle speeding in the neighborhood.” No injuries or property damage were reported.
It happened at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Woodward Avenue in the Pigeon Point neighborhood, located north of downtown Beaufort and U.S. 21, according to police department records.
In the aftermath of his arrest, Smith would be evicted from the rental property on Woodward Avenue that he had just moved into, according to reporting from The Island News. His roommate was also told to vacate the property.
Smith was granted $10,000 surety bonds for each of his 24 felony charges and received personal recognizance bonds for his three misdemeanors.
As of Thursday morning, he remained in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
Trick-or-treat festivities were similarly interrupted by gunfire in 2023 in Port Royal’s Shadow Moss neighborhood. No injuries were reported.
