In the summer of 1983, the town of Johnston, South Carolina, was rocked by a tragic event that unfolded at the local post office. On the morning of Friday, August 19, a former mailman, Perry Bush 'P.B.' Smith, walked into his old workplace armed with a 12-gauge shotgun. What followed was a violent outburst that left Postmaster Charles McGee, a 49-year-old male, dead and three other men wounded.
Smith, who had resigned from his position as a postal worker about three months prior after 25
years of service, began firing at his former colleagues. As workers fled in terror, McGee was among those who tried to escape the unfolding chaos. Smith pursued them outside, where he shot and wounded two postal employees, Allen Thomas and Monroe Kneece. An off-duty police officer, Robert Carroll, who happened to be nearby, was also shot and injured by Smith when his own weapon misfired as he tried to intervene. The tragic episode culminated when Smith followed McGee into the nearby Pantry convenience store, where the postmaster was hiding in a storage area. Smith kicked down the door and fatally shot McGee.
Following the shooting, Smith was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with one count of murder and three counts of assault and battery with intent to kill. The legal proceedings that followed were lengthy and complex. Initially, in October 1983, Smith was found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. By May 1985, he was deemed competent to face the charges against him.
Smith's first trial in June 1986 resulted in a conviction, but the verdict was later overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court, leading to a new trial. After a subsequent mistrial, a third trial was held in November 1987. This time, the jury found Perry Bush Smith guilty of the murder of Charles McGee and one count of assault and battery with intent to kill. He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, with an additional ten years for the assault. An appeal of his conviction was rejected by the state Supreme Court in 1989, bringing a final legal resolution to the harrowing event that had scarred the small community.
