Homeowner charged with ABWIK for firing weapon

Staff Writer

rseaborn@pickenssentinel.com

EASLEY - An Easley man is facing charges of assault and battery with intent to kill after he allegedly fired a weapon at the two men attempting to illegally enter his home last week, striking one in the neck.

Roger Eugene Wade, 56, of 178 Leisure Drive, is being held at the Pickens County Detention Center on a $75,000 bond after allegedly firing the weapon that struck a 17-year-old in the neck as the young man was attempting to flee the area.

Pickens County Sheriff's Office officials have charged Christopher Brent Moore, of 112 Ginger Lane, in Easley, with burglary and attempted burglary.

According to the warrant, Moore, along with a juvenile, attempted to break into Wade's home by cutting the screen of the rear sliding glass door Thursday night.

Moore and the juvenile thought the homeowner wasn't home and stopped their attempts to enter the residence when they saw Wade inside, the warrant said.

As the two men ran toward their vehicle and were attempting to enter it, Wade "did with malice aforethought shoot...Brent Moore with the intent to kill him," the warrant said.

Deputy Anthony Raines, who was assigned the initial call from Wade and was driving to the home, said in his report that before he arrived to that location he received a second call from a convenience store at 2304 Farrs Bridge Road

A man was in the parking lot bleeding from a gunshot wound, the report said.

Thinking the injured man could be a suspect in the initial burglary, Raines turned into that business where he found a bleeding Moore lying on the pavement, the report said.

Moore was transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital where he remains, Assistant Sheriff Tim Morgan said.

"I think his injuries are survivable, but it will take some time for him to recover," Morgan said.

Morgan said that following the shooting, investigators presented the facts of the case to prosecutors in the Thirteenth Judicial Solicitor's Office and then to a magistrate, who issued a warrant for Wade.

"You just can't kill someone over property," Morgan said. "Wade wasn't protecting his life, or his property, or even the area surrounding his home.

"The vehicle with the men inside was 80 yards away and they were attempting to flee," he said.

Sheriff's deputies are awaiting Moore's recovery before serving the warrant charging him with burglary, Morgan said.

The juvenile, from Anderson, was released into the custody of his mother.

A third suspect was arrested at the convenience store parking lot and charged with public disorderly conduct.

Cameron Douglas Seay, of 400 Thornbury Ridge, Easley, arrived at the store where he began shouting profanities and making threatening statements against Wade, the incident report said.

Requests by the deputy that Seay remain calm were ignored, the report said.

Sheriff's detectives are continuing to investigate the incident, Morgan said.