Brandon Coleman, a 24 year old Batesburg man, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for the 2016 shooting of multiple vehicles along Interstate 20 in Lexington County.  Coleman was sentenced following a plea in Lexington County to Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature. He also received concurrent sentences of ten years for two counts of Discharging a Firearm into a Vehicle. Circuit Court Judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr. handed down the sentence this morning. Under South Carolina law, this is a “no parole” offense. 

Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard remarked, “Crimes of this nature which threaten public safety must be dealt with severely. We are grateful to see justice served.” This case was prosecuted by Eleventh Circuit Senior Assistant Solicitor Rhonda Patterson and investigated by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.  Patterson stated, “The victims were extremely appreciative of the justice they received by today’s sentence. We are thankful this incident wasn’t even more tragic.”  

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of shots fired at vehicles along Interstate 20 East shortly after 2:00 am on March 31, 2016. The investigation determined that three vehicles had been hit by gunfire. The driver of a Honda Civic was directly struck by gunfire which entered through the windshield. The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the upper thigh area. She was able to safely maneuver her car off the roadway and seek assistance. She was treated at a local hospital for the leg injury. Fortunately, four additional occupants in her vehicle were uninjured.

The investigation revealed that shots had been fired from an overpass into oncoming interstate traffic near the Quattlebaum Road area in Leesville. The shootings appeared to be random. Coleman and a co-defendant were arrested in connection to the shootings after an acquaintance notified law enforcement of their involvement. A 9 mm Springfield pistol was recovered during the investigation and law enforcement determined that thirteen total rounds had been fired.  

Coleman was on probation at the time of this offense. He will be transferred to the S.C. Department of Corrections to begin immediate service of his sentence.