FLORENCE, SC – An 8-year-old boy visiting South Carolina from New Hampshire was shot dead by a man who shot at random with a pistol in cars passing through a forest near his home, authorities said.
Quarius Naqua Dunham died Sunday, a day after being hit in the neck by a bullet while driving on a rural road in Florence County, forensic scientist Keith von Lutcken said.
The boy’s father was also hit in the leg by a bullet and survived, the coroner said.
Charles Montgomery Allen, 40, was arrested in the woods and charged with murder, attempted murder and four charges of throwing a firearm at an occupied vehicle, Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye said.
The sheriff said Allen appeared to be on drugs and that deputies had dealt with him in the past, but investigators do not know why he started firing at cars on Saturday.
“Just a pointless, pointless act,” Joye told WBTW-TV.
Allen is being held without bail and prison records did not indicate whether he had a lawyer.
A second driver who attended the bail hearing said a patrol hit the roof of his car while driving on Old River Road.
“I noticed the gentleman was aiming and I said he was going to fire again, so I grabbed him and stepped on the accelerator to pass him and he fired again,” Calvin Cade said.
Quarius was a graduate student at Little Harbor School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
“An event like this affects our community as a whole,” Portsmouth Superintendent of Schools Steve Zadravec wrote in a message to the community on Monday. “Our hearts are with the family as we support each other during this incredible tragedy.”