Rejected proposal may have preceded actions leading to shooting

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By Stan Welch

A Williamston man was shot and killed Monday night by two Anderson County Sheriff’s deputies who had responded to his home due to reports that he was suicidal. Charles Eugene Porter, II suffered multiple gunshot wounds, after reportedly threatening the deputies with a handgun he was holding.

According to Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore, Porter, a thirty five year old white male, was struck by several of the gunshots, with three of them being deemed as fatal shots. “Any of those three would have ended Mr. Porter’s life,” said Shore, who declared Porter dead at the scene at 111 Old Field Circle. An autopsy was performed early Tuesday; nothing unusual was found, according to Shore. Shore added that preliminary reports indicate that Porter had proposed to a woman earlier and had apparently been turned down. The identity of the woman is unavailable.

Porter reportedly began drinking heavily, though Shore stated that the toxicology report would not be back for several days. Porter eventually sent a text message to a relative in another state, expressing his intention to end his life.

The relative in turn reportedly contacted Porter’s sister who lived nearby and she went to the scene to talk with him. When the officers arrived, she went to the door and they escorted her from the house, according to reports. They then entered the house and began speaking with Porter.

Again, according to reports, Porter made threatening gestures with the gun and the deputies opened fire, killing him. The officers’ names are being withheld in accordance with SLED policy, while they investigate the shooting. Neither deputy was injured.

Sheriff John Skipper explained that the two deputies were placed on administrative leave for Tuesday night. “They are not scheduled to work Wednesday or Thursday nights anyway. They will be debriefed on what happened. Friday, we will reevaluate. I expect to have SLED’s preliminary findings by then, and we will make a decision at that time.”