Turbeville, South Carolina



From the Manning Times of July 1, 2004

Clarendon homeowner shoots man in self-defense



A Manning youth was shot Friday when he and his companions refused to leave the premises of Willie McCray of Turbeville.



Jacob A. Cantey, age unknown, was shot once in the chest with a .22 caliber handgun.



According to Chief Deputy Joe Bradham, Cantey, along with Patrick A. Fordham, 18, of Manning and Jarrod J. Fordham, 20, of Pinewood, went to the McCray home to see McCray’s daughter.



“Patrick Fordham and McCray’s daughter have a baby together,” Bradham said. “Mr. McCray approached the three men in his front yard and Fordham said he wanted to see McCray’s daughter. McCray told Fordham that his daughter didn’t want to see him and told the three men to leave his property. McCray told investigators that he had already told Fordham not to come back on his property two times before Friday’s incident. Fordham said he was not leaving until he saw McCray’s daughter.”



Bradham said McCray went into the house and told his wife to call 9-1-1. While in the house McCray went and got the handgun and got on the phone with dispatch telling them they had better hurry. McCray told dispatch the three men said they weren’t going to leave and that they had threatened him. McCray told the three that the sheriff’s department had been called.



“The three men told Mr. McCray, ‘let them come,’” Bradham said. “After that was said, Fordham jump up on the hood of the car and Cantey came around the back of the car in a fighting position. At this point Mr. McCray thought he was going to be attacked by all three men and fired a single shot striking Cantey in the chest. It’s a clear case of self-defense. The three men are on Mr. McCray’s land saying let the police come and they are threatening him. When they advance on Mr. McCray, he shoots. Mr. McCray didn’t come around the corner pointing a gun but he didn’t hide the gun either and he didn’t shoot until he thought he was being threatened.”



Bradham said all three men continued to make threats but left the property after the shooting. On the way to Manning, they wrecked their car in a ditch. When a deputy arrived at the accident scene, he discovered that one of the passengers, Cantey, had been shot. Cantey, along with the other two men, stated to deputies that Cantey was shot not once but twice at a store near Turbeville but couldn’t remember the name of the store.



Bradham said McCray told the investigator he did fire a single shot but was not sure if he had hit anyone.



Cantey was transported to Clarendon Memorial Hospital, held overnight for observation and subsequently released.



Bradham said the investigation is still on going and no charges have been filed.