‘Why?’: SC fender-bender shooting victim speaks out, family honors slain victims
It’s been a week since Paul McConnell was wounded and two others were killed in a shooting after a fender-bender in rural South Carolina.
The physical wounds are improving with each day, but he admits his thoughts about the ordeal are still scattered.
“The confusion of why,” McConnell told The Sun News. “Why someone would do that to an innocent family they don’t even know?”
McConnell is quick to deflect thoughts and attention away from himself and to Laura Anderson and her stepfather Nick Wall, both of whom were killed last Monday outside Andrews in Georgetown County. McConnell declined to publicly discuss what happened, yet wanted to share some feelings with the community.
He spoke about the support he’s received and his recovery. McConnell also talked about the suspect, Tysheem Hasheem Walters, 23, of Moncks Corner, who faces two murder charges in the case, among other charges..
Mostly, McConnell wanted to thank everyone for their help at the scene and his treatment.
“Georgetown Sheriff, EMS I thank them beyond words, taking care of us and capturing the guy,” McConnell said.
The shooting
Georgetown County Sheriff’s Deputies and South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers responded to Georgetown Highway around 5:15 p.m., Aug., 24, for calls of both a shooting and a car wreck.
Wall drove a car along the highway as he headed to help Anderson settle into her new home at the intersection of Indian Hut Road. McConnell was waiting nearby the white mobile home that was to-be Anderson’s new home.
Walters drove behind him and rear-ended Wall’s vehicle as he turned into a driveway off the highway where the speed limit sits at 60 mph. Speed was not a factor in the crash, said Master Trooper Brian Lee with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
The cause of the crash was Walters following too close, and he was at fault, Lee said.
Georgetown County Sheriff’s deputies have released few details about what happened next. But, Walters is accused of getting out of his car and shooting the three victims.
“It came in as a fender-bender, then the male got out and shot the other party,” an officer says on police radio traffic.
When officers arrived, they found Anderson and Wall on the ground and McConnell walking nearby, according to police radio traffic and a police report. Walters fled the area.
A chaotic scene unfolded as more police arrived. Within minutes, deputies called for additional medical personnel and noted that one victim was shot in the head.
Police gave Walters’ description over the radio and brought bloodhound dogs to the scene to search for him, according to police radio traffic. He was spotted walking on Georgetown highway and Kent Road. As deputies approached him, he ran into the woods.
Deputies followed him and arrested him without further incident, according to a police report.
The victims went to area hospitals where Anderson and Wall were pronounced dead.
Georgetown Sheriff’s deputies charged Walters with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and three counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Victim thankful for support
McConnell said he is doing better each day and showed some of the progress he made recovering from his injuries.
He went to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center after the shooting and praised the trauma team for their efforts. Coronavirus restrictions meant he was limited in how many people could be in the hospital, but his family was always nearby.
Dalton McConnell, a nephew Paul helped raise, said they put a picnic table outside Paul’s first-floor hospital window to see and talk during his recovery. For a couple of days, family and co-workers spent hours at the table keeping McConnell company.
“Blessed ... grateful, for every phone call, text, every email,” McConnell said of the support.
As he detailed his recovery, McConnell quickly mentioned his thoughts were with Anderson’s and Wall’s family. He said he spoke to them Friday to convey his sympathies.
McConnell also asked the public to speak carefully about the case on social media, and not to spread a message of hate.
“If you’re going to spread anything,” he said, “spread positive.”
But, McConnell is unsure about his feelings towards the man accused of pulling the trigger that wounded him and killed the others. He said he doesn’t know if he will ever forgive him. McConnell said without acceptance of his actions and Jesus, Walters would spend eternity in hell. He called for the suspect to remain behind bars ahead of trial.
“He needs to stay in jail.”
Who is the accused shooter?
Walters is being held in the Georgetown County Detention Center ahead of trial. Bail was not set in his case as only a circuit court judge can set bond on murder charges.
Jimmy Richardson, solicitor for the 15th Judicial District, said his office has yet to receive the case file and a decision on whether the state will seek the death penalty will happen later.
The killing of multiple people and shooting a gun into an area where more than one person could be hurt are two conditions under South Carolina law where prosecutors can seek the death penalty.
Walters has one previous arrest in South Carolina, according to a background report provided by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Myrtle Beach police arrested him on Yaupon Drive in 2016 and charged him with possession of cocaine.
Officers searched a residence on April 12, 2016, and found a white powder that tested positive for cocaine, according to an arrest warrant. Officers also found drug paraphernalia in the home.
The charge was dropped before Walters was indicted.
Social media weighs in
The case drew immediate attention across South Carolina and quickly spread across the nation. Fox News posted a story about the shooting and actor James Woods also posted on social media about the murders. Some commenters focused on the race of the people involved — the victims were white and the suspect is black.
A debate over race erputed on Twitter a few days later that attracted more than a thousand people. Some questioned how two people could be killed after a minor crash.
The mayor of Pawleys Island also faces controversy after posting about the shooting on Facebook. Brian Henry called Blacks Lives Matter a “terrorist” organization in the lengthy posts detailing his thoughts.
He now faces calls to resign as mayor and boycotts of his business, including by the local NAACP.
Family, friends remember
Friends and family held weekend funerals for Wall and Anderson. On Monday evening, they gathered for a vigil near the shooting site.
Dozens held candles and signed banners to share memories of the victims. Most wore purple — it was Laura’s favorite color — and it was splashed on the banners and other memorials at the vigil.
“To my angel, you will never be forgotten,” Laura’s mom and Nick’s wife, Kim Wall, wrote on one banner. “I love you and miss you. Take care of Nick.”
Family friend Beverly Thompson said Laura Anderson recently started teaching Sunday School and decided she wanted to be an educator full-time. Laura was supposed to start classes for her teaching degree on Monday, but it instead it became a day of remembrance.
“Laura, the little girl who grew up to a lovely young lady,” Thompson said.
With an incredibly contagious smile and laugh, there were lots of happy times for Laura, Thompson recalled. Especially at her blonde moments.
She also loved her siblings, church and Jesus, Thompson said.
Nick owned his own fencing company and was also involved with the church. His pastor noted Saturday would have been his 46th birthday.
“Nick was a kind person, he never met a stranger, he was very laid back and he was selfless,” Thompson added.
“They loved life and lived it to the fullest.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 1:07 PM with the headline "‘Why?’: SC fender-bender shooting victim speaks out, family honors slain victims."
