Body found in South Carolina road but man wasn’t killed in crash, coroner says

A man’s body was found in a South Carolina road early Sunday morning, but he wasn’t a crash victim, according to the Greenwood County Coroner’s Office.

Juventino Gonzalez Altamirano was a homicide victim, the coroner’s office said in a news release. The 32-year-old Greenwood resident had been shot in the chest when his lifeless body was discovered, according to the release.

It was 3:21 a.m. when Altamirano was pronounced dead, the coroner’s office said. He was unresponsive when found in the 600 block of Hall Avenue, according to the release. That’s a block away from Magnolia Cemetery in Greenwood.

No other injuries were reported.

It was not clear if Altamirano was shot near where his body was discovered, or if he had been dumped there.

At 8:15 a.m., a shooting suspect was taken into custody, the Greenwood Police Department said. The suspect has not been publicly identified and there was no word on any criminal charges.

Information about the shooting, and how many people were involved, was not available. There was no word on a motive for the gunfire.

Despite the arrest, police said they are still actively investigating the shooting, along with the coroner’s office.

“Our detectives (are) working diligently to gather all relevant information, police said on social media. “We ask for the community’s patience and cooperation as the investigation continues.”

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call police at 864-942-8407, CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.

In the case of an emergency, always call 911.

This story was originally published January 4, 2026 at 10:38 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription