By Mindy Lucas
A man who was arrested in connection with an attack on a woman in North Charleston, has been identified as the alleged shooter of a 72-year-old woman out jogging in a Beaufort neighborhood on April 22, police say.
Isaiah Clayton Perdue, 23, of North Charleston, was arrested on April 23, the day after the Beaufort shooting, according to a statement issued by the Beaufort Police Department.
In that incident, Perdue allegedly attacked and seriously injured a woman with a machete before fleeing from a North Charleston motel.
The Beaufort woman, who has not been identified, was jogging on Lafayette Street, in the Pigeon Point neighborhood the day before the North Charleston incident, when she was shot.
According to witnesses, the suspect drove up, stopped in front of the victim, got out on the driver’s side of the car, and then fired a number of shots at her with a handgun.
Investigators were able to obtain an image of the suspect’s vehicle from surveillance footage, a 2010 Nissan Versa spotted fleeing the scene. They were also able to obtain a partial number from the car’s S.C. license tag.
Using a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division database, investigators narrowed the search to Perdue.
Beaufort investigators, with the assistance of the North Charleston Police Department and the Charleston field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, executed a search warrant on Perdue’s North Charleston apartment and 2010 Nissan Versa, which had the same damage as seen in the Beaufort surveillance footage, the release stated.
In addition, investigators recovered evidence from the vehicle that established Perdue’s presence in Beaufort the day of the shooting. They also recovered a firearm of the same caliber used in the shooting and ammunition matching the same brand and caliber used in the shooting, the release stated.
No charges had been made as of Monday, May 4 in connection with the Beaufort incident, but warrants for possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and attempted murder have been obtained for Perdue in connection to the shooting.
Perdue is being held at a detention center in Charleston. He has declined to speak with investigators. Currently, there are no known connections between Perdue and the victim, the release said.
The victim was struck at least once in the shooting, an earlier statement issued by the department said. She was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital at the time of the incident, where she was stabilized before being flown to the Medical University of South Carolina.
While the suspect has been identified, police say the incident remains under investigation.
Anyone with information about this case or the suspect is encouraged to call Investigator Josh Dowling, at (843) 322-7950, department’s Anonymous Tip Line (843) 322-7938.
Image provided by the Beaufort Police Department
