WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Man won't be charged in fatal Richland County shooting

Man won't be charged in fatal Richland County shooting

(Columbia) March 31, 2005 - Authorities are calling a fatal shooting Wednesday morning self-defense.

Around 10:40am Wednesday morning, the Richland County Sheriff's Department responded to a shooting that happened in the roadway of Fowler Street near Hard Scrabble Road in the northeast area of metro Columbia.

The Richland County Coroner's office tells WIS that Harry McCray, 36, was transported to Palmetto Richland Hospital with a single gunshot wound to the chest. He died around 11:22am. The Sheriff's Department says McCray attacked a man who was trying to jump-start his car when it broke down in front of his house, leading to the shooting.

Sammy Nelson says that unidentified man was his close friend, Mario Taylor, 24, "I would like everybody to know that this is out of character, out of nature for Mario to hurt somebody, because normally Mario is the type of person that runs to other people's aid to assist them when they're in need, not to hurt somebody."

Because no charges were filed, the Sheriff's Department won't confirm it's Taylor they questioned. Investigators say that the shooter and the victim did not have a history together, and before Wednesday's incident the two had never met.

But News 10 has learned McCray had a criminal history. Ten years ago he was convicted of burglary and ordered by the court to undergo mental health counseling.

His mental condition prior to the shooting is unclear but whatever it was, Nelson says his friend had to have felt trapped by McCray to take such drastic action, "I feel he had to be provoked where he felt he had no escape route out of it, because other than that he would have called his grandfather or myself or another family member to come in and rescue him from this situation."

And though his friend faces no charges, Nelson says there's still a struggle, "I just ask everybody to pray for the family because right now this is a tragedy on both sides. Everybody is hurting right now. We all need God's grace."

Reported by Angie Goff
Updated 8:30am by BrettWitt