In the summer of 2014, a life was cut tragically short in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Philip R. Brunson, a 26-year-old man, was fatally shot in the chest on a Saturday in July at the Corner Pocket Night Club located on Goff Avenue. The events of that night are shrouded in conflicting accounts, leaving a community to grapple with the sudden and violent loss.
Following an altercation inside the nightclub, Brunson was reportedly removed from the premises.
What transpired next remains a matter of contention. One version of events suggests that the owner of the establishment, 69-year-old James Williams, followed Brunson outside and shot him in the abdomen. Williams, a retired New York corrections officer who had resided in Orangeburg for two decades, presented a different narrative to authorities. He claimed that Brunson had attempted to re-enter the club armed with a pistol and had fired at a glass door, prompting Williams to return fire in self-defense. Yet another witness account alleges that after being ejected, Brunson came back with a firearm. A struggle is said to have ensued, during which Williams gained control of the weapon and shot Brunson.
In the wake of the shooting, law enforcement officials arrested James Williams. He faced serious charges, including murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. Williams was scheduled for an initial court appearance on the Saturday morning following the incident. The investigation into the death of Philip Brunson was launched by the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department as they worked to piece together the definitive sequence of events that led to the fatal shooting.
