Posted on 05/15/2014 5:32:48 AM PDT by Gamecock
HONEA PATH --- A 25-year-old man is dead after he was shot Wednesday while wearing a bulletproof vest as he and his friends gathered in a garage on Broadmouth Church Road in Honea Path.
Blake Randall Wardell died at the scene after he was shot in the chest with a small-caliber gun, Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown said. McCown said Wardell and about eight to 10 other people were gathered at the home when the shooting happened.
There was no evidence at the scene of a fight or struggle, McCown said.
"It wasn't a fight. They were actually going to take a shot at the vest," McCown said. "They were going to shoot the victim with the vest on. And he was shot in the chest, just above the vest."
McCown said the bulletproof vest appeared to be about 10 to 15 years old.
The shooting happened at around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Deputies arrived at the home to find a man lying in the garage with a gunshot wound to the chest, Anderson County Sheriff's Lt. Sheila Cole said. Cole said people were performing CPR on the victim, and paramedics were called to the scene, Cole said.
Anderson County sheriff's investigators have charged Taylor Ann Kelly, 18, of Woodvale Road in Anderson, with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Wardell's death, Cole said.
In the warrant issued for Kelly's arrest, deputies state that they believe Wardell put on the vest and asked Kelly to shoot him. The bullet passed through the edge of the vest, and Wardell was hit in the chest. A handgun was used in the shooting, according to the warrant.
Wardell and Kelly knew each other as friends, Cole said.
The investigation is still ongoing but Kelly has been charged and is being held at the Anderson County Detention Center. Bond has not been set.
Cole said, based on state law, involuntary manslaughter is defined as the reckless disregard of the safety of others. A person convicted of involuntary manslaughter may be imprisoned for up to five years.
(Other sources report she is being held on $10,000 bail. GC)
Darwin Winner?
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Just a guess, but I'll bet the vest's warranty doesn't cover this.
SC Darwin Ping
But then again who would be drinking at 3:00am on a Wednesday?</sarc>
Girl needs a lawyer ping!
Awfully smug looking for someone who just shot and killed a “friend”. She’s got “dead eyes, a dolls eyes”.
Looks like her bag of marbles also has a big hole in it
…but watch someone sue the vest mfgr anyway…...
Was thinking the same thing.
>Darwin Winner?
One winner and a runner up. I can’t decide which one is the stupidest.
whoops, missed...
I think the guy wearing the vest is stupider, but you’re right it’s a hard call.
Looks to me like she had been crying.
Looks to me like she has the “I’m just starting to realize how much crap I’m in” look.
Pretty stupid thing to do. One paid with his life, and so will she in jail.
A decent lawyer should be able to get her off. He will argue she could have reasonably expected the vest to stop the bullet so she wasn’t putting his life at risk.
Oh ya, I guess there is that defense, either way she has to live with this for the rest of her life.
WAIT! It was the guns fault! This is why we need stricter gun laws. Peasants are too stupid to have guns. Guns kill people and force citizens to do stupid, evil and dangerous things. Not even the vest could save the kid from the evil influence of the gun.
(this is sad and tragic and my prayers go out to the idiots)
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