Armed robbery, shooting at a Walmart leads to multiple arrests, SC police say
Two South Carolina men face multiple charges following a shooting at a Walmart Supercenter, according to the Aiken Department of Public Safety.
On Dec. 1, arrest warrants were issued for 22-year-old Barnwell resident Brandon Perry Buckmon, the department of public safety said in a news release. On Sunday, Jakeem Avonta Gregory surrendered to authorities.
Buckmon faces charges of shooting a firearm into a vehicle while occupied, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, armed robbery, unlawful carrying of pistol as well as assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, arrest warrants show. Gregory, a Williston resident, was arrested on identical charges, according to arrest warrants.
The shooting happened Nov. 26 in the parking lot of the Walmart at 2035 Whiskey Road, according to the release.
Officers responded to the Walmart and were told there had been an altercation involving several people and shots fired at a vehicle, according to the release.
Buckmon, Gregory and “co-defendants” were involved in an armed robbery of a person who was sitting in his vehicle, and both Buckmon and Gregory were in possession of handguns, arrest warrants show.
The victim refused to give up money and was shot in the shoulder, according to the warrants.
All of the people involved in the shooting, including the victim, had left the Walmart before officers arrived, the department of public safety said.
But later that day, officers learned a person had been shot and was being treated at Aiken Regional Medical Center, according to the release. The department of public safety said it believes the person, who has not been publicly identified, suffered what it called a non-life-threatening injury during the shooting at the Walmart.
Further information on the person’s condition was not available, and no other injures were reported. But the parking lot was “full of vehicles and there were numerous people in the immediate area of the shooting,” arrest warrants said.
Buckmon was arrested Nov. 29 in Williston on unrelated charges and is being held in the Orangeburg County Detention Center, according to the release. Information about how Buckmon was connected to the Walmart shooting was not available.
On Dec. 1, Buckmon was charged with kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery and burglary from a separate incident, Orangeburg County court records show.
Once Buckmon is released on the unrelated Orangeburg County charges, he’ll be extradited to Aiken County and formally charged on the counts connected to the Walmart shooting, the department of public safety said.
No bond was set for Gregory, who is currently behind bars in the Aiken County Detention Center, jail records show.
The shooting remains under investigation, and more arrests are expected, the department of public safety said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the department of public safety at 803-642-7620, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
“Information from the community is vital to solving this and any crime,” the department of public safety said.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and Williston Police Department has assisted the department of public safety’s investigation.
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This story was originally published December 3, 2023 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Armed robbery, shooting at a Walmart leads to multiple arrests, SC police say."
