Suspect in fatal shooting on Summerville trail thought he shot deer

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office has named the suspect accused of shooting a woman who was walking on a trail.

Christopher Kelle McDonald, 20, is charged with aggravated assault and battery and involuntary manslaughter.

MacDonald’s arrest warrant states that he was illegally hunting at night and mistook the sounds of leaves and branches moving near the trail for deer.

McDonald reportedly fired three or four rounds from a .20-caliber shotgun at the sound. Those shots fatally wounded the woman and left the second victim with multiple gunshot wounds.

The arrest warrant further alleges that MacDonald learned of the incident the next morning and turned himself in to law enforcement, admitting to the nighttime hunt.

Lori Wind, 54, of Summerville, was walking with her husband on the paved portion of the Sawmill Branch hiking trail at about 8:15 p.m. when she was shot, Coroner Paul Browers said.

The coroner pronounced Wind dead at the scene at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday night, about two hours after the shooting.

Brothers said Wind will undergo an autopsy at the Medical University of South Carolina on Saturday.

Authorities have not confirmed whether Wind’s husband was the other shooting victim.

Deputy Chief Sam Richardson said Wednesday that they were able to identify the suspect with information from a “confidential source” and that investigators believe the shooting may have been hunting-related.

The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office says one person is in custody and has been charged in connection with a shooting that killed one person and injured another on Tuesday.

Richardson said McDonald turned himself in to authorities.

“I know we’ve got, you know, woods here, but you’ve got a big subdivision there,” he said. “Nothing prevents hunting in this area. However, the fact that it is apparently close to residences is a concern.”

He said there have been several instances of people hunting near homes. He said state law requires hunters to maintain a distance of at least 300 yards.

The shooting happened on the Sawmill Branch hiking trail near the Newington Subdivision pool, Lt. Chaz Easterlin said.

EMS took the second victim to a local hospital, but that person’s condition was not known as of Wednesday afternoon.

McDonald was booked into the LC Knight Detention Center pending a bond hearing.