Update: Fatal shooting occurred near Oscar Frazier Park in Bluffton

Manny Patlan, who lives near Oscar Frazier Park in Bluffton, said he, his sister and his 9-year-old niece were startled by six gun shots late Friday night.

The Bluffton Police Department responded to a “shots fired” call around 11:40 p.m. Friday night, department spokesperson Joy Nelson said. She said the fatal shooting occurred in the area of Shults Road and Goethe Road and left one person dead and sent another to the hospital.

Patlan, 21, who lives on a corner lot at 71 Shults Road, walked to his side yard that borders 8th Avenue, where there was a mangled chain-link fence and two deep tire ruts. A car had crashed into the fence Friday night around the time of the shooting, he said, though he couldn’t say why or how the car was involved in the incident. A small piece of yellow crime tape was still on the fence Saturday afternoon.

He poked his head out the window Friday night, he said, and saw flashing blue lights surrounding his house.

“I didn’t think it would happen around this area, you know?” he said. The park is not even a half mile from his home, and beyond it lies several new developments with neatly manicured lawns and freshly painted porches.

After speaking with witnesses, investigators located and arrested 29-year-old Thomas Bush and charged him with murder and attempted murder, according to a news release from the police department.

Investigators haven’t determined a motive yet, Nelson said Saturday afternoon.

Nelson confirmed that the shooting occurred near Oscar Frazier Park. “I believe that’s where the helicopter landed to airlift one of the victims,” she said.

When asked whether a car was involved in the shooting, Nelson said she could not comment because the investigation is ongoing.

When asked whether a car involved in the incident had damaged Patlan’s fence at 71 Shults Road, Nelson said, “That information cannot be released at this time.”

The condition of the victim who was airlifted is unknown, Nelson said. She did not know to what hospital the victim had been taken.

“It’s an ongoing homicide investigation,” she said, adding that the coroner would release the deceased victim’s name.

A voice message left for coroner Ed Allen late Saturday morning was not returned.

Anyone with information may contact Detective David Murphy at 843-706-4513 or the department’s tip hotline at 843-706-4560.

This story was originally published June 4, 2016 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Update: Fatal shooting occurred near Oscar Frazier Park in Bluffton."