PICKENS COUNTY — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has charged a Taylors resident following the investigation into the circumstances surrounding a shooting incident on Sept. 7.
According to incident reports from the PCSO, deputies were dispatched following reports of a shooting that had occurred in the yard of a residence located at 213 Jay Drive, Greenville, within Pickens County.
“Upon arrival, deputies were unable to locate anyone at the scene other than witnesses from a nearby residence,” said Chief Deputy Chad Brooks. “They also located evidence to indicate a shooting had occurred.”
Brooks stated interviews with witnesses provided deputies with information that confirmed that two males had been involved in a verbal dispute at the residence.
Reports say the argument turned violent when one of the men, identified as 25-year-old Phillip Brandon Barnes, appeared from behind the home, presented a handgun, and shot twice at the victim while he stood in the front yard, hitting him once.
No other parties were injured and no children were present when the incident occurred, Brooks said.
The victim, who was shot in the stomach area, was transported via personal vehicle to a local hospital where he remains being treated for his injuries, reports state.
PCSO officials explained Barnes was not at the scene of the shooting when deputies arrived but when he was arrested on Sept. 17, he had a small caliber handgun in his possession.
Further forensic testing is required to determine if this was the weapon used in the shooting, officials said.
Barnes is currently detained without bond in the Pickens County Detention Center charged with Attempted Murder and Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime.
