Palmetto TIRE AND AUTO^{[1, 2]}

• Name	Palmetto TIRE AND AUTO  [3, 4, 5]
  Gender	Male
  HIST	Palmetto Tire and Auto owner 'overwhelmed' with support after store shooting Shop still busy, victims recovering 2 weeks later A Palmetto Tire and Auto mechanic works on a vehicle Thursday. The tire and auto repair shop has received an outpouring of community support since a shooting incident on Oct. 21, according to owner Philip Marlowe. MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Friday, November 8, 2019 6:00 am BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com A little more than two weeks after a shooting at his shop injured three people, a Sumter small-business owner says he is still "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of love and support from the community. Palmetto Tire and Auto owner Philip Marlowe spoke Wednesday to The Sumter Item about the acts of kindness and thoughtfulness his business has received from customers, local officials, the Sumter Police Department, local vendors and even competitors since the Oct. 21 shooting. Those acts have included cards, lunches, food, prayers and plenty of other words of encouragement, Marlowe said. "People are still dropping by every day and wanting to know how everyone is doing," he said. "Our customers have been fantastic to us. We have been blessed by everyone in Sumter. We're just so overwhelmed with the support and thoughtfulness of this community. It's been wonderful." Business is still busy, just as it has always been, Marlowe said. Palmetto Tire employees Cissy Christmas and Kenneth Hargrove and long-time customer Perry Register were injured in the shooting. All three are making progress from their injuries, according to Marlowe, without any anticipated long-term effects. Marlowe said previously it was a "miracle" that no one died in the incident. Bond has been denied for the suspected shooter, Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham, 25, a transgender man, of Roxbury Court, who is being detained at the Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center. According to the police department, Mooneyham reportedly shot one other person at Chestnut Pointe Apartments on Roxbury Court about 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 21 before fleeing in his car to Palmetto Tire at 29 E. Wesmark Blvd. in what was described as an active shooter situation. He reportedly fired all 10 to 12 bullets in his clip to a .22-caliber rifle inside the tire and auto repair shop's main office area. Mooneyham has been charged with nine counts of attempted murder among other charges. Marlowe has said Mooneyham has no relation to anyone at the store and has never been a customer. "Though there was tragedy," Marlowe said, "great good has come out of the circumstances with the prayers, support and encouragement." 'God's grace and hand of protection': After shooting Monday, Palmetto Tire owner says it was ‘miracle’ no one died Palmetto Tire and Auto owner Philip Marlowe helps a customer on Thursday at his business on Wesmark Boulevard. Two of his employees and a customer were shot at the business Monday morning, and Marlowe said he is praying for the suspect and that he believes it was a miracle that no one was killed that morning. BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Saturday, October 26, 2019 5:00 am BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com When Philip Marlowe founded his tire and auto repair shop in 1997 in the middle of town just off Broad Street, he says he dedicated the business to the Lord. A long-time Christian and the son of a pastor, Marlowe said he recognized back then that God had enabled him to open Palmetto Tire and Auto and whatever happened there, God would get the glory. In 23 years, the shop has done well. It's still in the same spot, has a large and loyal customer base, has grown to 12 current employees, given back to the Sumter community and never even had a store hold-up, Marlowe said. A random act of terror and store shooting that left three injured with gunshot wounds Monday morning will not change Marlowe's perspective. The long-time shop owner - known by many for his bright smile and friendly demeanor - sat down with The Sumter Item on Thursday to discuss the tragic events of three days earlier but spent most of the entire hour-long conversation talking about God's love, forgiveness and provision and how his own heart breaks for the shooter's life. - - - Eight seconds on Monday at 7:45 a.m. at Palmetto Tire changed the lives of many, Marlowe said. The suspected shooter, Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham, 25, formerly Mindy Mooneyham, fired all 10 to 12 bullets in his clip to a .22-caliber rifle on people inside the store's main office area. Palmetto Tire employees Cissy Christmas and Kenneth Hargrove were hit, as well as long-time customer Perry Register. All three victims were rushed to area hospitals, but all survived. Two were released from hospital care in recent days, and the third is likely to be released soon. Mooneyham, who Marlowe says is going through a transgender process to become a male, proceeded to get back into his car and fled the scene within a minute or two, he said. With the help of an employee who followed in a car chase, Mooneyham was captured by police officers within minutes (see sidebar). Marlowe said he missed the shooter by 10 seconds because precisely at 7:45 a.m. he was putting mail in the business' mailbox at the edge of the parking lot at 29 E. Wesmark Blvd. "If I would have been delayed by 10 seconds [heading to the mailbox]," Marlowe said, "I would have met her at the front door, and she would probably have mowed me down with bullets." He said he truly believes those 10 seconds were God's provision on his life and that God's grace was over the entire shooting because no one died. "As horrific and as terrible a situation that happened Monday morning was, God's light has shown through in ways that I never would have imagined when I just play things back in my mind," Marlowe said. "God's grace and hand of protection were in this office at 7:45 Monday morning." He described it as a "miracle" that no lives were lost. Marlowe said he believes a common Biblical description that "what man intends for evil, God intends for good" appropriately describes the shooting and its aftermath. "God diverted some of those bullets from penetrating human flesh," he said, "and the bullets that did hit human flesh were in areas of the body where there wasn't a major organ or artery. Not to belittle the situation, it could have been so, so, so much worse than what it was. "I believe with all my heart that God divinely diverted with His holy hands those bullets from penetrating into a major organ for Cissy, Kenneth and Perry." SUNDAY SERMON, FORGIVENESS FOR SHOOTER Marlowe said he firmly believes last weekend's sermon topic at his church - Christ Community Church - on Jesus Christ's forgiveness for human sin, as ultimately depicted on the cross, wasn't just coincidental. A short video before the sermon detailed "The Emanuel Nine" hate crime in Charleston from 2015 by white supremacist and mass murderer Dylann Roof and how church members displayed "incredible forgiveness" for publicly forgiving Roof after the church shooting. Marlowe said he believes what happened this week unfortunately mirrors - "in some small degree by God's grace" - what was presented in the video clip. His pastor's sermon that followed, he said, was on how we all need Christ's love and forgiveness every single day. Marlowe added he doesn't consider himself any better than the shooter. "My heart this week has been as broken for that young lady (the shooter) as it has been for the victims who were shot," Marlowe said. "I know that she must be totally confused about life and totally misled in what her purpose, meaning and significance in this life is." Marlowe said his hope and desire is to one day sit down and talk with the shooter and share the love of Jesus Christ. "And I hope that she too would come to the point in her life where she would recognize the great need of forgiveness from her Heavenly Father," Marlowe said. "We all need Jesus every single day. I am no better than she is, and I need God's grace and mercy every single day." Marlowe said he has learned this week that the suspect has had a hard life. "She is searching for something that she will never be able to obtain until she finds Christ and Christ alone because only Christ fills that void in any of us," he said. Palmetto Tire and Auto employee's courage helps Sumter police capture suspect within minutes Palmetto Tire and Auto mechanic Josh Robinson chased suspect Ozzy Mooneyham without knowing what had happened in the building. BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Saturday, October 26, 2019 5:00 am BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com Palmetto Tire and Auto mechanic Josh Robinson doesn't consider himself a hero - just someone who was "in the right place at the right time." The 25-year-old Robinson spoke Friday about Monday's shooting that left three at the shop injured and his immediate car chase of the suspect from the tire dealer and auto repair shop that aided law enforcement in making an arrest within minutes before additional harm could have occurred. During the 7:45 a.m. shooting inside the store's main office area at 29 E. Wesmark Blvd., Robinson was actually not on the property but test-driving a customer's vehicle that was at the shop for repairs, he said, when he recounted the morning's events. As shooting suspect Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham was reportedly fleeing the scene about 7:47 a.m. in the small gray car he was driving, Robinson had just pulled back into the parking lot. The first thing he heard, while still in the customer's vehicle, was his shop foreman Mark Lucente screaming, "Follow the car!" three times. Knowing something "seriously wrong" had just happened, Robinson said he just followed his instincts and began to chase after Mooneyham in the car down Wesmark toward South Pike. When Mooneyham took a right onto Pike, Robinson continued to follow closely, bumper to bumper, he said. When the speeding suspect then took an abrupt right turn into the parking lot of Pike Road Furniture and Mattress Center, Robinson said he pulled in right behind him. Mooneyham then parked his car near the store, and Robinson did likewise. Still not knowing exactly what happened at the shop and without his cellphone on him at the time, Robinson said he assumed the suspect had possibly stolen a vehicle from Palmetto Tire. Robinson - who says he has some experience in high-pressure situations previously in life - then proceeded to get out of his car and stood in front of Mooneyham's vehicle. As he briefly looked at the car with heavily tinted windows, Robinson said he could make out that a person was moving inside. He then knocked on the driver's side window, and eventually Mooneyham actually rolled the window down and began to point his .22-caliber rifle at Robinson. "I asked him, 'Did you just leave Palmetto Tire?,'" Robinson recounted. "He said, 'Yes, I did,' - acting like it was a stupid question," Robinson added. Robinson said Mooneyham never threatened him and then rolled his window back up. His impression was that Mooneyham couldn't function at the time, freaked out and couldn't shoot him, Robinson said. He then got back in his car and tried to block Mooneyham's vehicle in the parking lot. Then, as police cruisers were speeding down Pike toward Palmetto Tire, Robinson said he tried to wave them down to stop, but none of the officers did. The suspect was then able to turn enough to escape the block-in that Robinson had created. "That's when I jumped back into the car and started to chase him down Pike toward Miller Road," Robinson said. As both cars were speeding down Pike, police cars continued to pass by, Robinson said, and he was unable to flag anyone to stop, even by waving and screaming. Back at Palmetto Tire, Lucente had informed the police that his mechanic was chasing the suspect in an orange car. Unauthorized access. After officers called out on their radio system the color of Robinson's car, other cops took notice, Robinson said. "Then, all of a sudden, the cops stopped passing me and started hitting their brakes," he said. "They started cutting in front of me and chasing Mooneyham's car. I continued to follow with the police." The chase continued down Miller Road toward Broad Street, Robinson said, where cruisers eventually stopped Mooneyham at gunpoint at the intersection next to the Fuel Express gas station. After answering officers' questions, it wasn't until he returned to Palmetto Tire, Robinson said, that he found out there was a shooting. Later on, it was reported by police that Mooneyham had 400 rounds for his .22-caliber rife in his car and two handguns. - - - Looking back on the entire experience, Robinson said, there's no doubt in his mind that he did the right thing in chasing down the shooter. "I'm very grateful that I followed my first instincts," he said. "It was the right thing to do. If I would have chased him and he got away, or I chased the wrong car or something else and come back here and found out he had shot people, I would have felt bad that I didn't do what I did to ensure he didn't do it again." He said he doesn't consider himself someone special. "I was just in the right place at the right time," Robinson said. He holds high respect, he said, for Lucente and doesn't blame him in any way for telling him to chase the suspect who had a gun. "Mark was just in shock at the time," Robinson said. "He didn't want him to get away. Mark didn't mean to put me in harm's way. I had the decision to run after I saw the gun at the mattress store. "I don't want people to think that he put me in jeopardy. I'm really glad everything turned out the way it did, and no one died." Bond denied for shooting suspect in Palmetto Tire incident in Sumter SHELBIE GOULDING / THE SUMTER ITEM Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham, 25, stands in front of Sumter County Magistrate Judge Larry Blanding for his bond hearing on Wednesday morning. Mooneyham faces nine counts of attempted murder, two counts of carrying a weapon during a violent crime and two counts of pointing and presenting a weapon. He was denied bond. Posted Wednesday, October 23, 2019 10:15 am BY SHELBIE GOULDING shelbie@theitem.com Bond was denied by Sumter County Magistrate Judge Larry Blanding on Wednesday for a Sumter man who reportedly shot four people at two different locations in Sumter early Monday. Seven people, some of whom represented the victims, attended the bond hearing at Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center. Shooting suspect Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham, formerly Mindy Mooneyham, 25, of Roxbury Court, was charged with nine counts of attempted murder, two counts of carrying a weapon during a violent crime and two counts of pointing and presenting a firearm. Mooneyham reportedly first fired on a small black vehicle at Chestnut Pointe Apartments on Roxbury Court, hitting a female. The victim was able to drive herself to the hospital. Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said an off-duty deputy, who was fired upon as he was standing on the balcony of his apartment at Chestnut Pointe, called for assistance and gave information on the subject as officers arrived on scene. Mooneyham then fled by vehicle to Palmetto Tire and Auto on East Wesmark Boulevard, where he reportedly shot three additional victims. Shortly after fleeing Palmetto Tire and Auto, two sheriff office's deputies took Mooneyham into custody. Sumter officers said there is no connection between the suspect and the victims. Officers determined the shooting as an opportunity to cause harm, based on evidence from the investigation. Victims were not seen as targets. The four victims are being treated at area hospitals and are expected to recover, according to Sumter Police Department Public Information Officer Tonyia McGirt. Mooneyham’s court date is set for Nov. 21. Ozzy Mooneyham: Accused Sumter Active Shooter By Jessica McBride Updated Oct 21, 2019 at 6:20pm Ozzy Mooneyham is accused of being an active shooter who wounded four people in a mass shooting spread over two locations in Sumter, South Carolina, including at Palmetto Tires. Police Chief Russell Roark revealed in a news conference: “Make no mistake, this was an active shooter situation. The individual was determined to cause chaos and harm to members of our community.” Mooneyham is 25-years-old. Chief Russell Roark called it a “violent act” and said he wanted to assure the community that this “was not gang-related. We have no reason to believe that the individual we arrested was acting in concert with anyone else.” The suspect was named by the chief as Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham. The chief said Mooneyham was previously named Mindi Mooneyham. The chief did not explain the name change. “There is no connection between he and his victims,” the chief said. “There’s some people he shot at and missed. Unfortunately, there are four people he shot at and struck. These individuals were minding their own business in the wrong place at the wrong time.” The police chief painted the picture of a horrific sequence of events of the like that’s become too familiar in the United States. The victims were “merely targets of opportunity for an individual determined to create chaos and cause harm to innocent people,” said Chief Roark. He provided a timeline. At 7:30 a.m. on October 21, 2019, a man in a camouflage hat was firing in the direction of a small vehicle at an apartment complex. The suspect was seen leaving in the vehicle two minutes later. At 7:36, officers arrived on the scene. They found an off-duty sheriff’s deputy who had been fired on while standing at the balcony of his building. A female gunshot victim then called police and said she was shot at the apartment complex. The Next Shooting Was at the Tire Shop, Police Say We’re waiting to hear an update from Sumter PD about a shooting at a local business where 3 people were injured @abc_columbia At 7:45 a.m., a second call of a shooting came in at Palmetto Tires. Officers arrived on scene and found three gunshot wound victims, one female and two males. At 7:49 a.m., two deputies performed a traffic stop based off the information provided by dispatch. After the traffic stop, the suspect was taken into custody without further incident. Weapons were seized from the vehicle, including a .22 caliber rifle with an extended magazine, which is believed to be the gun the suspect used in “these violent acts.” Seven counts of attempted murder are among the slew of charges. “Make no mistake. This was an active shooter situation,” the chief said. “We had two locations whereby shots were fired, persons were struck, and they were not intended targets. This was a crime perpetrated by the individual who was intent to cause harm to others.” Mooneyham Does Not Have a Criminal History, Police Say Mooneyham purchased the weapon legally, the chief said in the news conference. He added that Mooneyham has no prior criminal history. The exact motive is not clear. Online records for both an Ozzy and Mindi Mooneyham, age 25, Sumter, do show up connected to the same relatives in datamining sites. There are no obvious social media accounts for the suspect with anything visible on them. One man who knows a victim wrote on Facebook that the man “is in serious pain, but doing better. He is going to pull out of this and is in good spirits. God is gracious. But, I know his prayer is for us to PAY ATTENTION to mental health. Not just spiritual health, but soul health.” The chief praised the actions of the officers who allegedly stopped Mooneyham. The chief added, “We have experienced some tragedy in our community in the last three months.” He said this was “an active shooter incident.” “Got in his car and he backed out just like a normal customer,” one employee of the tire shop said to WLTX-TV. “How did he pick us out randomly? Look at all these places out here and he picked us.”  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  HIST	Palmetto Tire and Auto owner 'overwhelmed' with support after store shooting Shop still busy, victims recovering 2 weeks later A Palmetto Tire and Auto mechanic works on a vehicle Thursday. The tire and auto repair shop has received an outpouring of community support since a shooting incident on Oct. 21, according to owner Philip Marlowe. MICAH GREEN / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Friday, November 8, 2019 6:00 am BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com A little more than two weeks after a shooting at his shop injured three people, a Sumter small-business owner says he is still "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of love and support from the community. Palmetto Tire and Auto owner Philip Marlowe spoke Wednesday to The Sumter Item about the acts of kindness and thoughtfulness his business has received from customers, local officials, the Sumter Police Department, local vendors and even competitors since the Oct. 21 shooting. Those acts have included cards, lunches, food, prayers and plenty of other words of encouragement, Marlowe said. "People are still dropping by every day and wanting to know how everyone is doing," he said. "Our customers have been fantastic to us. We have been blessed by everyone in Sumter. We're just so overwhelmed with the support and thoughtfulness of this community. It's been wonderful." Business is still busy, just as it has always been, Marlowe said. Palmetto Tire employees Cissy Christmas and Kenneth Hargrove and long-time customer Perry Register were injured in the shooting. All three are making progress from their injuries, according to Marlowe, without any anticipated long-term effects. Marlowe said previously it was a "miracle" that no one died in the incident. Bond has been denied for the suspected shooter, Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham, 25, a transgender man, of Roxbury Court, who is being detained at the Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center. According to the police department, Mooneyham reportedly shot one other person at Chestnut Pointe Apartments on Roxbury Court about 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 21 before fleeing in his car to Palmetto Tire at 29 E. Wesmark Blvd. in what was described as an active shooter situation. He reportedly fired all 10 to 12 bullets in his clip to a .22-caliber rifle inside the tire and auto repair shop's main office area. Mooneyham has been charged with nine counts of attempted murder among other charges. Marlowe has said Mooneyham has no relation to anyone at the store and has never been a customer. "Though there was tragedy," Marlowe said, "great good has come out of the circumstances with the prayers, support and encouragement." 'God's grace and hand of protection': After shooting Monday, Palmetto Tire owner says it was ‘miracle’ no one died Palmetto Tire and Auto owner Philip Marlowe helps a customer on Thursday at his business on Wesmark Boulevard. Two of his employees and a customer were shot at the business Monday morning, and Marlowe said he is praying for the suspect and that he believes it was a miracle that no one was killed that morning. BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Saturday, October 26, 2019 5:00 am BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com When Philip Marlowe founded his tire and auto repair shop in 1997 in the middle of town just off Broad Street, he says he dedicated the business to the Lord. A long-time Christian and the son of a pastor, Marlowe said he recognized back then that God had enabled him to open Palmetto Tire and Auto and whatever happened there, God would get the glory. In 23 years, the shop has done well. It's still in the same spot, has a large and loyal customer base, has grown to 12 current employees, given back to the Sumter community and never even had a store hold-up, Marlowe said. A random act of terror and store shooting that left three injured with gunshot wounds Monday morning will not change Marlowe's perspective. The long-time shop owner - known by many for his bright smile and friendly demeanor - sat down with The Sumter Item on Thursday to discuss the tragic events of three days earlier but spent most of the entire hour-long conversation talking about God's love, forgiveness and provision and how his own heart breaks for the shooter's life. - - - Eight seconds on Monday at 7:45 a.m. at Palmetto Tire changed the lives of many, Marlowe said. The suspected shooter, Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham, 25, formerly Mindy Mooneyham, fired all 10 to 12 bullets in his clip to a .22-caliber rifle on people inside the store's main office area. Palmetto Tire employees Cissy Christmas and Kenneth Hargrove were hit, as well as long-time customer Perry Register. All three victims were rushed to area hospitals, but all survived. Two were released from hospital care in recent days, and the third is likely to be released soon. Mooneyham, who Marlowe says is going through a transgender process to become a male, proceeded to get back into his car and fled the scene within a minute or two, he said. With the help of an employee who followed in a car chase, Mooneyham was captured by police officers within minutes (see sidebar). Marlowe said he missed the shooter by 10 seconds because precisely at 7:45 a.m. he was putting mail in the business' mailbox at the edge of the parking lot at 29 E. Wesmark Blvd. "If I would have been delayed by 10 seconds [heading to the mailbox]," Marlowe said, "I would have met her at the front door, and she would probably have mowed me down with bullets." He said he truly believes those 10 seconds were God's provision on his life and that God's grace was over the entire shooting because no one died. "As horrific and as terrible a situation that happened Monday morning was, God's light has shown through in ways that I never would have imagined when I just play things back in my mind," Marlowe said. "God's grace and hand of protection were in this office at 7:45 Monday morning." He described it as a "miracle" that no lives were lost. Marlowe said he believes a common Biblical description that "what man intends for evil, God intends for good" appropriately describes the shooting and its aftermath. "God diverted some of those bullets from penetrating human flesh," he said, "and the bullets that did hit human flesh were in areas of the body where there wasn't a major organ or artery. Not to belittle the situation, it could have been so, so, so much worse than what it was. "I believe with all my heart that God divinely diverted with His holy hands those bullets from penetrating into a major organ for Cissy, Kenneth and Perry." SUNDAY SERMON, FORGIVENESS FOR SHOOTER Marlowe said he firmly believes last weekend's sermon topic at his church - Christ Community Church - on Jesus Christ's forgiveness for human sin, as ultimately depicted on the cross, wasn't just coincidental. A short video before the sermon detailed "The Emanuel Nine" hate crime in Charleston from 2015 by white supremacist and mass murderer Dylann Roof and how church members displayed "incredible forgiveness" for publicly forgiving Roof after the church shooting. Marlowe said he believes what happened this week unfortunately mirrors - "in some small degree by God's grace" - what was presented in the video clip. His pastor's sermon that followed, he said, was on how we all need Christ's love and forgiveness every single day. Marlowe added he doesn't consider himself any better than the shooter. "My heart this week has been as broken for that young lady (the shooter) as it has been for the victims who were shot," Marlowe said. "I know that she must be totally confused about life and totally misled in what her purpose, meaning and significance in this life is." Marlowe said his hope and desire is to one day sit down and talk with the shooter and share the love of Jesus Christ. "And I hope that she too would come to the point in her life where she would recognize the great need of forgiveness from her Heavenly Father," Marlowe said. "We all need Jesus every single day. I am no better than she is, and I need God's grace and mercy every single day." Marlowe said he has learned this week that the suspect has had a hard life. "She is searching for something that she will never be able to obtain until she finds Christ and Christ alone because only Christ fills that void in any of us," he said. Palmetto Tire and Auto employee's courage helps Sumter police capture suspect within minutes Palmetto Tire and Auto mechanic Josh Robinson chased suspect Ozzy Mooneyham without knowing what had happened in the building. BRUCE MILLS / THE SUMTER ITEM Posted Saturday, October 26, 2019 5:00 am BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com Palmetto Tire and Auto mechanic Josh Robinson doesn't consider himself a hero - just someone who was "in the right place at the right time." The 25-year-old Robinson spoke Friday about Monday's shooting that left three at the shop injured and his immediate car chase of the suspect from the tire dealer and auto repair shop that aided law enforcement in making an arrest within minutes before additional harm could have occurred. During the 7:45 a.m. shooting inside the store's main office area at 29 E. Wesmark Blvd., Robinson was actually not on the property but test-driving a customer's vehicle that was at the shop for repairs, he said, when he recounted the morning's events. As shooting suspect Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham was reportedly fleeing the scene about 7:47 a.m. in the small gray car he was driving, Robinson had just pulled back into the parking lot. The first thing he heard, while still in the customer's vehicle, was his shop foreman Mark Lucente screaming, "Follow the car!" three times. Knowing something "seriously wrong" had just happened, Robinson said he just followed his instincts and began to chase after Mooneyham in the car down Wesmark toward South Pike. When Mooneyham took a right onto Pike, Robinson continued to follow closely, bumper to bumper, he said. When the speeding suspect then took an abrupt right turn into the parking lot of Pike Road Furniture and Mattress Center, Robinson said he pulled in right behind him. Mooneyham then parked his car near the store, and Robinson did likewise. Still not knowing exactly what happened at the shop and without his cellphone on him at the time, Robinson said he assumed the suspect had possibly stolen a vehicle from Palmetto Tire. Robinson - who says he has some experience in high-pressure situations previously in life - then proceeded to get out of his car and stood in front of Mooneyham's vehicle. As he briefly looked at the car with heavily tinted windows, Robinson said he could make out that a person was moving inside. He then knocked on the driver's side window, and eventually Mooneyham actually rolled the window down and began to point his .22-caliber rifle at Robinson. "I asked him, 'Did you just leave Palmetto Tire?,'" Robinson recounted. "He said, 'Yes, I did,' - acting like it was a stupid question," Robinson added. Robinson said Mooneyham never threatened him and then rolled his window back up. His impression was that Mooneyham couldn't function at the time, freaked out and couldn't shoot him, Robinson said. He then got back in his car and tried to block Mooneyham's vehicle in the parking lot. Then, as police cruisers were speeding down Pike toward Palmetto Tire, Robinson said he tried to wave them down to stop, but none of the officers did. The suspect was then able to turn enough to escape the block-in that Robinson had created. "That's when I jumped back into the car and started to chase him down Pike toward Miller Road," Robinson said. As both cars were speeding down Pike, police cars continued to pass by, Robinson said, and he was unable to flag anyone to stop, even by waving and screaming. Back at Palmetto Tire, Lucente had informed the police that his mechanic was chasing the suspect in an orange car. Unauthorized access. After officers called out on their radio system the color of Robinson's car, other cops took notice, Robinson said. "Then, all of a sudden, the cops stopped passing me and started hitting their brakes," he said. "They started cutting in front of me and chasing Mooneyham's car. I continued to follow with the police." The chase continued down Miller Road toward Broad Street, Robinson said, where cruisers eventually stopped Mooneyham at gunpoint at the intersection next to the Fuel Express gas station. After answering officers' questions, it wasn't until he returned to Palmetto Tire, Robinson said, that he found out there was a shooting. Later on, it was reported by police that Mooneyham had 400 rounds for his .22-caliber rife in his car and two handguns. - - - Looking back on the entire experience, Robinson said, there's no doubt in his mind that he did the right thing in chasing down the shooter. "I'm very grateful that I followed my first instincts," he said. "It was the right thing to do. If I would have chased him and he got away, or I chased the wrong car or something else and come back here and found out he had shot people, I would have felt bad that I didn't do what I did to ensure he didn't do it again." He said he doesn't consider himself someone special. "I was just in the right place at the right time," Robinson said. He holds high respect, he said, for Lucente and doesn't blame him in any way for telling him to chase the suspect who had a gun. "Mark was just in shock at the time," Robinson said. "He didn't want him to get away. Mark didn't mean to put me in harm's way. I had the decision to run after I saw the gun at the mattress store. "I don't want people to think that he put me in jeopardy. I'm really glad everything turned out the way it did, and no one died." Bond denied for shooting suspect in Palmetto Tire incident in Sumter SHELBIE GOULDING / THE SUMTER ITEM Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham, 25, stands in front of Sumter County Magistrate Judge Larry Blanding for his bond hearing on Wednesday morning. Mooneyham faces nine counts of attempted murder, two counts of carrying a weapon during a violent crime and two counts of pointing and presenting a weapon. He was denied bond. Posted Wednesday, October 23, 2019 10:15 am BY SHELBIE GOULDING shelbie@theitem.com Bond was denied by Sumter County Magistrate Judge Larry Blanding on Wednesday for a Sumter man who reportedly shot four people at two different locations in Sumter early Monday. Seven people, some of whom represented the victims, attended the bond hearing at Sumter County Sheriff's Office Detention Center. Shooting suspect Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham, formerly Mindy Mooneyham, 25, of Roxbury Court, was charged with nine counts of attempted murder, two counts of carrying a weapon during a violent crime and two counts of pointing and presenting a firearm. Mooneyham reportedly first fired on a small black vehicle at Chestnut Pointe Apartments on Roxbury Court, hitting a female. The victim was able to drive herself to the hospital. Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said an off-duty deputy, who was fired upon as he was standing on the balcony of his apartment at Chestnut Pointe, called for assistance and gave information on the subject as officers arrived on scene. Mooneyham then fled by vehicle to Palmetto Tire and Auto on East Wesmark Boulevard, where he reportedly shot three additional victims. Shortly after fleeing Palmetto Tire and Auto, two sheriff office's deputies took Mooneyham into custody. Sumter officers said there is no connection between the suspect and the victims. Officers determined the shooting as an opportunity to cause harm, based on evidence from the investigation. Victims were not seen as targets. The four victims are being treated at area hospitals and are expected to recover, according to Sumter Police Department Public Information Officer Tonyia McGirt. Mooneyham’s court date is set for Nov. 21. Ozzy Mooneyham: Accused Sumter Active Shooter By Jessica McBride Updated Oct 21, 2019 at 6:20pm Ozzy Mooneyham is accused of being an active shooter who wounded four people in a mass shooting spread over two locations in Sumter, South Carolina, including at Palmetto Tires. Police Chief Russell Roark revealed in a news conference: “Make no mistake, this was an active shooter situation. The individual was determined to cause chaos and harm to members of our community.” Mooneyham is 25-years-old. Chief Russell Roark called it a “violent act” and said he wanted to assure the community that this “was not gang-related. We have no reason to believe that the individual we arrested was acting in concert with anyone else.” The suspect was named by the chief as Ozzy Alexander Mooneyham. The chief said Mooneyham was previously named Mindi Mooneyham. The chief did not explain the name change. “There is no connection between he and his victims,” the chief said. “There’s some people he shot at and missed. Unfortunately, there are four people he shot at and struck. These individuals were minding their own business in the wrong place at the wrong time.” The police chief painted the picture of a horrific sequence of events of the like that’s become too familiar in the United States. The victims were “merely targets of opportunity for an individual determined to create chaos and cause harm to innocent people,” said Chief Roark. He provided a timeline. At 7:30 a.m. on October 21, 2019, a man in a camouflage hat was firing in the direction of a small vehicle at an apartment complex. The suspect was seen leaving in the vehicle two minutes later. At 7:36, officers arrived on the scene. They found an off-duty sheriff’s deputy who had been fired on while standing at the balcony of his building. A female gunshot victim then called police and said she was shot at the apartment complex. The Next Shooting Was at the Tire Shop, Police Say We’re waiting to hear an update from Sumter PD about a shooting at a local business where 3 people were injured @abc_columbia At 7:45 a.m., a second call of a shooting came in at Palmetto Tires. Officers arrived on scene and found three gunshot wound victims, one female and two males. At 7:49 a.m., two deputies performed a traffic stop based off the information provided by dispatch. After the traffic stop, the suspect was taken into custody without further incident. Weapons were seized from the vehicle, including a .22 caliber rifle with an extended magazine, which is believed to be the gun the suspect used in “these violent acts.” Seven counts of attempted murder are among the slew of charges. “Make no mistake. This was an active shooter situation,” the chief said. “We had two locations whereby shots were fired, persons were struck, and they were not intended targets. This was a crime perpetrated by the individual who was intent to cause harm to others.” Mooneyham Does Not Have a Criminal History, Police Say Mooneyham purchased the weapon legally, the chief said in the news conference. He added that Mooneyham has no prior criminal history. The exact motive is not clear. Online records for both an Ozzy and Mindi Mooneyham, age 25, Sumter, do show up connected to the same relatives in datamining sites. There are no obvious social media accounts for the suspect with anything visible on them. One man who knows a victim wrote on Facebook that the man “is in serious pain, but doing better. He is going to pull out of this and is in good spirits. God is gracious. But, I know his prayer is for us to PAY ATTENTION to mental health. Not just spiritual health, but soul health.” The chief praised the actions of the officers who allegedly stopped Mooneyham. The chief added, “We have experienced some tragedy in our community in the last three months.” He said this was “an active shooter incident.” “Got in his car and he backed out just like a normal customer,” one employee of the tire shop said to WLTX-TV. “How did he pick us out randomly? Look at all these places out here and he picked us.”
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  [S27363] Bond denied for shooting suspect. [S27364] 1 charged after 4 shot in Sumter. [S27346] Owner ‘overwhelmed’ with support after store shooting. [S27360] ‘God’s grace and hand of protection”. [S27361] Employee’s courage helps police capture suspect within minutes.