A Lugoff domestic dispute turned into a shooting scene on June 26, with deputies alleging that a 42-year-old stepfather opened fire on his stepson and the boy’s father outside a Juniper Road home. The suspect, identified as Stephen Michael Ray, was arrested that day and is now being held without bond at the county detention center while a stack of felony charges moves forward.
According to the Chronicle Independent, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office deputies took Ray into custody at the Juniper Road residence on June 26. The outlet reports that Ray faces two counts of attempted murder and two counts of kidnapping, along with charges of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, two counts of pointing and presenting firearms at a person, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and aggravated breach of the peace. Local coverage on July 6 first pulled together the full list of those charges.
Online booking records for late June list a Stephen Ray in custody and show he is being held without bond at the Kershaw County Detention Center, according to JailExchange. Those public rosters are the main way county officials post inmate details and bond status.
Scene And Arrest
Deputies say they were called to the Juniper Road address in Lugoff on June 26 and that the arrest followed their response and an on-scene investigation, the sheriff’s office told the Chronicle Independent. The initial report did not spell out a motive for the alleged shooting and did not indicate whether either victim was taken to a hospital.
What The Charges Mean Under State Law
Under South Carolina law, attempted murder is a felony that applies when someone intentionally tries to kill another person. That definition and the related penalties are laid out in SC Code §16‑3‑29, which is published on Justia.
The state also has a weapons enhancement that can stack on top of violent-crime charges. If a firearm is possessed or displayed while a violent crime is being committed or attempted, an extra mandatory five-year sentence can apply under SC Code §16‑23‑490, as detailed on Justia.
Local Context
The case lands in the middle of a busy stretch for Kershaw County law enforcement, which has been touting several high-profile operations this month, including a mid-June drug raid that netted multiple arrests and highlighted the push against drugs and guns in the area. One of those operations, a drug den busted in a meth and fentanyl raid, drew particular attention in local coverage and helped underscore why deputies say they are concentrating resources on violent-crime complaints right now.
So far, the sheriff’s office has not released a fuller public statement or a detailed breakdown of the evidence tied to the June 26 shooting allegations, and court records do not yet list an arraignment date in the public docket. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 425‑1512 or use the media contact information on the agency’s website: Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office.
