Father & son charged after woman was shot, beaten with baseball bat, SC cops say
A South Carolina man has been arrested after a woman was severely injured in a weekend attack where she was beaten with a baseball bat and shot, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Willie James Sigler, a 65-year-old Sumter resident, was charged with attempted murder, the sheriff’s office said Sunday night in a news release.
The charge stems from Saturday night, when deputies responded to reports of a shooting a home on Old Pocalla Road, according to the release.
At about 11:15 p.m. Saturday, deputies found a severely injured woman lying in the yard, the sheriff’s office said. The victim told deputies that she had been attacked by Sigler, who was inside the home, according to the release.
An officer with the Sumter Police Department also helped providing medical aid to the victim, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies and police officers secured the scene and surrounded the home, but Sigler ignored several commands from law enforcement officers and refused to come to the door, according to the release. As preparations were being made by law enforcement officers to force their way into the home a family member arrived and persuaded Sigler to surrender, the sheriff’s office said.
Sigler was arrested and taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, where he is being held without bond, according to the release.
The victim was taken to a local hospital, where she was listed in serious but stable condition, the sheriff’s office said.
No other injuries were reported.
Investigators believe the incident stemmed from a personal dispute between Sigler and the victim, according to the release. Further information about the dispute, and Sigler’s prior relationship with the victim was not available.
Despite Sigler’s arrest, the attack continues to be investigated by the sheriff’s office. That led to another arrest days later.
Sigler’s son, Gregory Maurice Sigler, also took part in the attack, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities believe Gregory Sigler used a baseball bat to cause serious injury to the victim before leaving prior to deputies’ arrival, the sheriff’s office said.
At about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, deputies conducted a traffic stop near Boulevard Road and Hauser Street and the driver was identified as Gregory Sigler, who was wanted for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, according to the sheriff’s office.
As deputies attempted to arrest him, Gregory Sigler resisted and assaulted the officers before he was taken into custody and transported to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center, the sheriff’s office said.
Like his father, Gregory Sigler is being held without bond and both men remain in custody, according to the sheriff’s office.
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This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 8:13 AM.
