Employee’s body found in Midlands business and his death’s ruled a homicide, cops say
The body of a Midlands man was found Tuesday at the auto repair garage where he worked, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said.
Willie McDuffie had been fatally shot, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The 70-year-old from the area near Lee County was discovered at the business in the 1500 block of Airport Road, according to the release. That’s in Sumter, close to North Main Street and not far from the intersection of Broad Street and U.S. 76.
At about 8:30 a.m., deputies responded to reports of an unconscious male found inside the building, the sheriff’s office said. Both deputies and EMS personnel determined McDuffie had been shot multiple times and died, according to the release.
The Sumter County Coroner’s Office was contacted, and McDuffie’s death was ruled a homicide, the sheriff’s office said.
No other injuries were reported.
The business is a “small, locally owned automotive repair facility,” and McDuffie worked there along with family members and friends, according to the release. McDuffie was found inside the office by a family member, the sheriff’s office said.
There was no word on a shooter, or shooters, or a motive for the gunfire.
“We are trying to verify motive but so far, McDuffie’s death makes no sense,” Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in the release. “This business is a small close-knit group of family and friends, and they used their skills to help others.”
No arrests have been reported by the sheriff’s office, which continues to investigate the shooting.
“We have a whole team of investigators working on this case,” Dennis said. “Whoever is responsible for this senseless death needs to be held accountable. I am asking anyone in the community, anyone that knew this family, if there’s something my investigators need to know, contact this office.”
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 803-436-2000, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
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This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 8:24 AM.
