A simmering dispute at a Saturday evening family gathering in Eastover, South Carolina, escalated into a fatal exchange of gunfire, leaving two men dead. Horace Holmes, a 47-year-old male from Eastover, was one of the men who lost his life on May 5, 2018. The incident, which unfolded in the 100 block of Henry Street, also resulted in the death of 49-year-old Woody Allen Goodwin of West Columbia.
According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, an argument broke out between Holmes
and Goodwin at the gathering. The verbal altercation turned violent when both men produced firearms and shot at each other. Deputies responding to a shots-fired call found both men with upper-body gunshot wounds.
Goodwin was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting. Holmes was transported to Palmetto Health Richland Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries just before 8 p.m. The Richland County Coroner's Office confirmed that both men died from gunshot wounds to the chest.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department launched an investigation into the double shooting. Initial reports indicated that the two men had shot each other. There was no information released by authorities regarding any other suspects or arrests in connection with the fatal encounter. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deadly argument was ongoing.
