In the fall of 2014, a quiet afternoon in Liberty, South Carolina, was shattered by the sound of gunfire, leaving two family members dead and another man injured. On October 10, 42-year-old Steven Chapman was fatally wounded during a shootout at the Forestview Apartments. His nephew, 22-year-old Houston Chapman, was also killed in the exchange of fire.
The incident unfolded around 2:30 p.m., prompting a 911 call that brought Liberty police officers to a chaotic scene.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Steven Chapman and another man, Benjamin James Pilgrim, lying wounded in the parking lot, while Houston Chapman was found on a sidewalk leading to an apartment building. Civilians were attempting to render aid to all three men. Houston Chapman was pronounced dead at the scene, and Steven Chapman was transported to Baptist Easley Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators determined that the shooting was the culmination of an ongoing dispute that had simmered for months between Houston Chapman and 32-year-old Benjamin James Pilgrim. Pilgrim, who was engaged to a member of the Chapman family and resided in the same apartment complex, allegedly went to the apartment with a pistol and shot Houston Chapman multiple times. The investigation revealed that Houston Chapman returned fire, and it is believed that the shot that killed his uncle, Steven Chapman, was fired from his gun.
Following the incident, Pilgrim was hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries he sustained during the shootout. Upon his release from the rehabilitation center, he was arrested and charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of both Houston and Steven Chapman. He also faced a charge of possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Although the investigation indicated that Houston Chapman fired the fatal shot that killed his uncle, authorities charged Pilgrim with Steven Chapman's murder under the legal principle that his actions 'caused the death.'
