Conway father shoots son in argument over can of tobacco

An 18-year-old man was rushed into surgery Sunday afternoon after police say his father shot him with a shotgun when an argument over going to the store for a can of tobacco turned heated at their home on Quiet Avenue.

Horry County police were called to a Conway Medical Center emergency room at 12:30 p.m. for a victim who arrived there with a gunshot wound, according to Lt. Raul Denis of the Horry County Police Department.

The young man told police he was shot with a 12-gauge shotgun.

“At first the victim stated that it was accidental, but after further investigation, he stated that his father had shot him during an altercation,” according to a police report released Monday. “The victim stated that he and his father were having an argument over going to the store for a can of tobacco. During the altercation a fight ensued inside the house.”

The young man told police he went outside, but his father followed him and “shot him one time with a shotgun loaded with bird shot,” according to the report. The bird shot entered both thighs, according to an arrest warrant.

The victim’s mother rushed him to the hospital, and he was transported to Grand Strand Medical Center for surgery.

Forty-one-year-old Thomas Milvie Lewis of Conway was arrested and charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime and the unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Conway father shoots son in argument over can of tobacco."