EIKEN, SC (WRDW/WAGT) – Concern grows among Aiken neighbors after second shooting at Walmart on Whiskey Road.Investigators identified one suspect and obtained an arrest warrant.
Brandon Perry Buckmon, 22, of Barnwell, was arrested in connection with the shooting, according to the Aiken Department of Public Safety.
Buckmon was arrested on November 29 in Williston, South Carolina, on unrelated charges and is being held in the Orangeburg County Detention Center, the department said.
Buckmon will be transported to Aiken and will be charged upon his release, officials said.
According to arrest warrants, Buckmon was charged with discharging a vehicle, armed robbery, possession of a handgun during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a handgun, and high and aggravated assault and battery.
The warrant states the victim was shot in the shoulder after refusing to hand over money.
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Witnesses said the suspects fired shots at the vehicle around 4:30 p.m., and the victim’s vehicle fled. The victim later showed up at Aiken Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Some Aiken mothers fear for their safety after the mid-afternoon shooting.
People say they feel less and less safe with each shooting.
Laura Kanagy said the Walmart on Whiskey Road was the store she went to for everything as a child.
“That was Walmart. That’s where I got my prescriptions, went to get dinner, went shopping. Everything came from that Walmart,” Canargy said.
The shooting continued for days. Aiken shooting claimed driver’s life Located on Park Avenue at Fairfield Street.it was one of those A series of shootings that claimed the lives of three people It will take place throughout the CSRA over the Thanksgiving holiday period.
With Sunday’s most recent shooting, that’s about to change, Kanergy said.
“Almost everyone in Aiken has to go to Walmart, and now they have to risk their lives just to buy milk,” Canarsey said.
There have been two shootings within six months.
one in the store Ashton Rickard, 13, was seriously injured in June., Outpouring of support from the community.a The suspect was quickly arrested.
“You don’t have to be afraid just to feed your family,” Kanagy said.
Walmart issued a statement. “While we do not publicly discuss the safety measures we take in our stores and parking lots, the safety of our employees and customers is our top priority.”
How to help:
- Anyone with information about the crime should call the Aiken Department of Public Safety at 803-642-7620 or submit an anonymous tip online at https://www.cityofaikensc.gov/offices/public-safety/crime-tip/ Please send.
One of the suspects dropped a cell phone, which was taken into evidence, according to a police report.
Officers searched the scene but did not find the suspect.
The report said security camera footage showed the three suspects standing in the back of the store talking 10 minutes before the shooting.
Two of the suspects were wearing black plants, black hoodies and white sneakers. They had long black dreads and were about 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, officials said.
The third suspect was wearing black pants, white shoes and a multi-colored hoodie. His height is listed as being between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 11 inches.
After talking for several minutes, they left the front of the store, the report states.
Officials said the suspect, wearing a flashy hoodie, walked toward the Kia. He was seen talking to someone at the driver’s door before “an incident that appeared to be a struggle at the driver’s door” occurred, according to the report.
The other two suspects then ran to the back of the Kia, officials said.
The report said one of the suspects, wearing a black hoodie, appeared to have a handgun and moved to the passenger side, where he fired one shot.
The suspect, who was in the driver’s door, backed away and fired shots at the driver, the report said.
Officials said the suspects then walked toward a silver Ford Fusion. One of the suspects, wearing a black hoodie, ran back toward the victim’s car, picked up items on the ground, and returned to the Ford.
The two, wearing black hoodies, got into a Ford Fusion and turned south on Whiskey Road. The third suspect fled on foot toward Burger King.
No shell casings were found at the scene.
Officers found the Kia parked in Coral Berry Park with a bullet hole in the rear driver’s side window, according to the report.
The shooting remains under investigation and more arrests are expected. The Aiken Department of Public Safety assisted the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, Williston Police Department, and State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) in this investigation.
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