Shooting suspect captured after brief manhunt

FLORENCE — A Florence man faces many criminal charges after he opened fire in a neighborhood following a high-speed chase in a Florence neighborhood Thursday night.

Keith Bradford Davis, 20, 507 E. Roughfork St., is charged with assault and battery with intent to kill, resisting arrest, first-offense driving under suspension, having an expired vehicle license tag, failure to yield the right of way on a lefthand turn, unlawful carrying of a pistol, first-offense possession of one ounce or less of marijuana and first-offense possession of other substances in Schedules I, II and II with intent to distribute, Florence County Detention Center booking reports show.

The chase started at 10:02 p.m. Thursday after a Florence police officer initiated a traffic stop for improper turning, Florence Police Chief Anson Shells said.

The suspect stopped his vehicle, but while the officer was walking toward him, he drove off.

Police said Davis then led them on a chase that ended when he pulled into the driveway of a home on Marsh Avenue, began firing shots, then ran from the scene, Shells said.

It’s unclear who was the intended target of the shots, Shells said. 

Police blocked off sections of Marsh Avenue near Sandhurst Drive and weren’t allowing residents to leave during the incident.

Investigators also called in a canine tracking team to help locate the suspect, Shells said.

While police were searching for him, neighborhood residents were warned to stay in their homes.

Davis remains in custody at the jail in Effingham awaiting a bond hearing.