Authorities name accused gunman in Charleston restaurant shooting

Authorities have identified the man accused of killing a Charleston chef at a restaurant on Thursday.

Thomas Demetrius Burns, 53, of Charleston, was shot by police officers during the hostage standoff at Virginia’s on King around noon Thursday, said Charles Francis, spokesman for the Charleston Police Department.

Burns was critically wounded by police. Burns is facing murder charges, according to information posted on the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center’s website.

He is accused of walking into Virginia’s on King, a restaurant on King Street north of Marion Square, and shooting 37-year-old Anthony Shane Whiddon, of Goose Creek. Whiddon was the executive chef of the restaurant.

Multiple media outlets have reported that a chef had fired a dishwasher, who returned to avenge his firing. Authorities have not confirmed Burns was the dishwasher.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg repeatedly stressed the shooting was restricted to the restaurant by a “disgruntled employee.”

“This was not a terrorist act,” Tecklenburg said. “This was not a hate crime. This was a tragic case of a disgruntled individual, I think with a history of some mental health challenges who took his anger into his own hands.”

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Authorities name accused gunman in Charleston restaurant shooting."