LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – Father of 5 kills mother of children in Kershaw home yesterday morning, Sunday December 11 before noon.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has arrested 41 year-old Hurley D. Braddy, Jr. charging him with Murder and Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Violent Crime. Bond was denied.
The children, ages 1 to 16, ran to a neighbors home and called 911. When Officers arrived Braddy walked out of the home and was taken into custody. None of the children were physically injured during the incident. Officers say one child is Braddy’s child, and the other four are the children of both Braddy and the victim.
See below for full release.
Press Release:
Homicide Arrest
Hurley D. Braddy, Jr., age 41, was arrested just before noon yesterday, Sunday, December 11, 2022, and charged with the shooting death of his domestic partner. At 11:41 a. m. deputies of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 227 West 3rd Street in Kershaw for a report of shots fired. The person making the 911 call lives on the same street and reported that four children from 227 West 3rd Street ran to the caller’s home and said their father shot their mother. Two deputies arrived quickly, and Braddy walked out of the front door of his home and was taken into custody without incident.
A deputy entered the home. He found a fifth child, a one-year-old, sitting in a highchair in the kitchen. The child was unharmed. The deputy found the victim, a 34-year-old female, on the floor in a bedroom with apparent gunshot wounds. Lancaster County Emergency Medical Services personnel rendered aid and determined the victim was deceased. No one else was in the home.
The area was secured, and criminal and crime scene investigators and the coroner were called to begin the investigation, process the scene, and collect evidence. A handgun was recovered during a search of the home.
The five children range in age from one to 16, and all were inside the home when the shooting occurred. None of them were physically injured during the incident. One child is Braddy’s child, and the other four are the children of both Braddy and the victim. A sheriff’s office victim advocate responded to the scene and assisted the neighbor in caring for the children while arrangements were made for them. Relatives of the victim were contacted in a Low Country county and arrived later in the day to take custody of all five children.
Braddy was transported to the sheriff’s office and later to the Lancaster County Detention Center. Warrants were served upon him charging him with Murder and Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Violent Crime. Bond was denied. His photograph is attached.
“Our hearts hurt for these children and other family members and friends of this victim,” said Sheriff Barry Faile. “At this point in the investigation we can only guess what sparked such a horrific act of violence in the presence of these children that ended in the shooting death of their mother. We expect to know more as the investigation progresses. We will continue to follow up with the children to ensure their needs are met during these difficult times.”
(All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.)
Anyone with information about this or any other case should call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 803-283-3388 or contact Midlands Crimestoppers in one of the following ways: dial 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372), log onto www.midlandscrimestoppers.com and click on the “Submit a Tip” tab, or download the P3 Tips App for Apple or Android devices.
