Trick or treat? ... Tricked, apparently. :S
SUMTER, South Carolina (AP) -- A 12-year-old
boy trick-or-treating with his family in central South Carolina was
shot from inside a home Friday and killed, and his father and
brother were wounded by the gunfire, authorities said.
<!--===========CAPTION==========-->Police converge on the
scene of the fatal shooting of a trick-or-treater Friday night in
Sumter, South
Carolina.<!--===========/CAPTION=========-->
The shooting suspect, Quentin Patrick, was in custody, a jail
official said. Patrick, 22, has been charged with murder and three
counts of assault and battery with intent to kill. The jail
official said she didn't know whether Patrick had an attorney and
his telephone number was unpublished.
The family was headed home from a city-sponsored event downtown
when they decided to stop at a few homes, Sumter Police Chief Patty
Patterson said. The father and his four children approached a home
with a porch light on about 8:30 p.m. ET while their mother waited
nearby in a vehicle.
As the family was at the door, they thought they heard
fireworks. The 12-year-old boy, his father and brother were all hit
by the gunfire. The boy died at a hospital, Coroner Verna Moore
said. The other two children were not hurt.
The boy's father and brother were taken to a hospital with
non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have not released the
identity of the family.
Patterson also would not release any more details about the
shooting.
"The investigation is continuing into what has been a very
tragic evening," Patterson said. "Our sorrow and sympathy goes out
to this family."
The police chief said there were other people inside the home at
the time of the shooting, but she didn't expect any of them to be
charged.
A neighbor said he heard a loud noise about the time of the
shooting and thought it was simply Halloween mischief.
"I thought, trick-or-treat night -- pranks go down. Anything
goes," said Lenwood Dixon, 49, who works at a hazardous waste and
recycling company. "I heard a noise like maybe gunfire, then my
daughter saw a bunch of lights flashing and saw some cops."
In his six years in the neighborhood, he said he wasn't aware of
any violent crimes. He said a few trick-or-treaters had been on his
block that night.
"I'm surprised. Since I was here, I'd never heard of
anything like that happening. It's a quiet neighborhood," he said.
"You don't see many children in the neighborhood. It's more
elderly."
