Man shot, wife arrested after domestic dispute in Florence

Florence police are investigating a domestic dispute that ended Wednesday afternoon with a man shot in the neck and his wife in jail.

Monica Ramadan, 36, is charged with assault and battery with intent to kill in connection with the shooting of her husband, Mohamed Ramadan, Florence Police Inspector Allen Heidler said.

The couple were arguing about noon at their residence at 1321 W. Evans St., when the woman picked up a gun, aimed it at the man and the gun went off, Florence Police Lt. James Rodgers said.

The woman told police she didn’t realize the gun was loaded, Rodgers said.

The man was responsive as he was being taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The bullet exited his body near his arm pit area.

Witnesses said two children were in the residence, located between Realty Word Pee Dee Properties and the office of Cheryl Turner-Hopkins, Attorney at Law, when the shooting occurred.

The children are now in the custody of a family member.

Ramadan remains in jail at the Florence County Detention Center.

It’s the second such incident reported in the Pee Dee this year.

On Jan. 6, a Mullins woman was shot in the neck by her boyfriend who then turned the gun on himself, Marion County sheriff’s deputies said.

Arista Lynn Snipes, 40, told deputies she had been shot by her live-in boyfriend, 64-year-old Ronald Richardson, who then fatally shot himself in the head at her home on Sand Company Court, east of Mullins.

Snipes told deputies the two had been arguing since Richardson came home. She said he was highly intoxicated and he’d beaten her throughout the day.

Later, when the two were in bed, Richardson got up and went into the bathroom, and he followed her and shot her, Snipes told deputies. He then turned the gun on himself, she said.

EMS personnel said Snipes had been shot in the neck area and suffered a shattered vertebra, according to the sheriff’s office incident report.

Marion County Sheriff Mark Richardson, who is no relation to the dead man, said deputies previously were called to the couple’s home March 7, 2008, by Snipes, who told them Richardson was drinking heavily and had run her off the road when she was driving her vehicle away from the residence. He was arrested at that time and charged with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature.

Domestic violence comprised 62 percent of the victim population served by the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008. During that same period, the coalition provided assistance to 1,012 victims of domestic violence.

Domestic violence is a deliberate act, according to the Pee Dee Coalition. If a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, or someone you share a child with repeatedly injures you or threatens to do bodily harm to you, that is considered domestic violence. Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence, and offenders consist of individuals of all levels, including both genders, all races, all age groupings, and all socio-economic and educational levels.

The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billon each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health services, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Victims of intimate partner violence lost almost 8 million days of paid work as a result of the violence. This loss is equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs and almost 5.6 million days of household productivity.

Anyone with information about possible cases of domestic violence is encouraged to contact the nearest law enforcement agency.

In addition, the Pee Dee Coalition provides assistance and resources designed to help victims of these crimes and can be reached any time at (843) 669-4600 or (800) 273-1820.

Organized in 1986, the Pee Dee Coalition is one of 15 domestic violence programs in South Carolina. It is a nonprofit volunteer organization and United Way agency that serves seven Pee Dee counties: Florence, Darlington, Marion, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Dillon, and Williamsburg. Its Web site is www.peedeecoalition.org.

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