Pamplico Man Shows Up at Home After Apparent Gunshot Wound to the Head

A man showed up at a home on East First Street in Pamplico after what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head. Florence County Sheriff's Office deputies now say he was actually pistol-whipped during a violent altercation at a local laundromat, with a gun discharging in the struggle but never striking him.

Confusion Over the Injury Clears Up

The incident unfolded when the victim was attacked at the laundromat before making his way to a home on East First Street, where a family member called 911, according to WPDE. WPDE reported that the man arrived after what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head. Florence County Sheriff T.J. Joye said the victim was actually pistol-whipped, and that the gun went off during the physical altercation without hitting him. The victim, per Joye, initially thought he had been shot.

Deputies say the man's condition has not been released. An investigator remained at the scene in Pamplico as Florence County deputies worked to determine what led to the altercation. The sheriff's office said additional information would be provided as the investigation develops, per the same account.

A Small Town Along a Busy Route

Pamplico is a small municipality in southeastern Florence County with a population of 1,061 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, located roughly 19 miles southeast of the county seat, according to Wikipedia. South Carolina Highway 51 runs directly through the town's center, serving as a secondary route for motorists heading toward Myrtle Beach, about 51 miles to the southeast. The laundromat incident involved violence and a weapon.

The Florence County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff T.J. Joye since 2021, serves Florence County, which spans 800 square miles and has a population of more than 138,000, per the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association. The same scnow.com crime-and-courts page includes an armed-robbery item.

What Charges Could Follow

No suspect has been identified, and investigators have not disclosed a motive for the altercation. Once someone is identified, striking a person with a firearm during an assault can be prosecuted in South Carolina as Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature under S.C. Code § 16-3-600, a violent felony carrying up to 20 years in prison, according to Justia Law. Separately, unlawfully pointing or presenting a firearm at another person is its own felony under S.C. Code § 16-23-410, punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine, regardless of whether the weapon is fired or loaded.

Statewide, weapons offenses are far from rare. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division recorded 11,410 weapons law violations across the state in 2023, according to the Law Office of Charles T. Brooks III. For now, the Florence County Sheriff's Office says the investigation into what happened at the Pamplico laundromat remains active as deputies work to piece together the sequence of events that sent the victim to a relative's doorstep believing he'd been shot.