In a tragic turn of events on April 8, 2018, a friendly get-together in Summerville, South Carolina, ended in the death of 35-year-old Liam Owen Vernon. Vernon, a White male, was fatally shot at the home of his friend, Wade David Williamson III. The incident unfolded in the early morning hours, with Williamson himself placing a call to 911 around 7:20 a.m.
to report the shooting.
According to Williamson's account to dispatchers, the two men had been getting along throughout the night before a sudden altercation. He claimed that Vernon struck him in the jaw, and as the assault continued, he felt compelled to shoot in self-defense. When Berkeley County sheriff's deputies arrived at Williamson's residence, they discovered Vernon suffering from three gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Despite Williamson's assertion of self-defense, investigators from the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office arrested him a week after the shooting. The 34-year-old was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. During a bond hearing on April 16, 2018, a judge denied bond for Williamson, requiring him to await a circuit court hearing for the charges to be addressed. The case drew considerable attention due to the claim of self-defense within a friendship.
