Photo: Florence County Sheriff's Office
Police in Florence County, South Carolina arrested and charged a white man who is accused of randomly shooting at cars that drove past his home, killing an eight-year-old Black boy from New Hampshire who was vacationing in South Carolina with his family.
Quarius Naqua Dunham, a third-grader from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was struck in the neck as he and his family drove past 40-year-old Charles Montgomery Allen's home on Old River Road on Saturday (May 28), according to CBS News.
Officials say Allen randomly fired at three cars, one of which Quarius and his family were in. The eight-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital and was removed from life support on Sunday night (May 29). Dunham's father was hit in the leg and is expected to survive.
"It's unimaginable from any perspective," Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern told the news outlet. "Our hearts go out to the family and when they do return to Portsmouth we will show them how strong of a community they have."
Allen has been charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and three counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.
Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye suspects Allen was under the influence of drugs at the time of the fatal shooting.
"No motive. Just probably methed up. He's got a history. He's incarcerated now without incident. Just a senseless, senseless act," Joye told WBTW.
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