By Tony Kukulich
A tip from the community led to the arrest of a suspect wanted in connection with a July 16 shooting in Grays Hill.
Raul Francisco Doporto, a 20-year-old Beaufort resident, was taken into custody Monday evening and faces attempted murder and aggravated breach of the peace charges related to the July shooting. He is currently confined at the Beaufort County Detention Center and is being held on a $100,000 bond.
Doporto was in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest, and weapons charges may be forthcoming.
Following the July 16 arrests of Shiron Brown, a 23-year-old resident of Beaufort, and 25-year-old Grays Hill resident Vincent Williams, Doporto was identified as the third shooter in the incident that left the victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the chest.
A warrant was issued for the arrest of Doporto, who remained at large until Monday evening. Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies, acting on a tip, located him in Beaufort around 10 p.m., and Doporto was subsequently arrested for his outstanding warrants.
Brown and Williams remain in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center. They both face the same attempted murder and aggravated breach of the peace charges.
The shooting occurred in the vicinity of Pinecrest Lane and Bruce K. Smalls Parkway around 12:30 p.m. The victim, who has not yet been identified, fled the scene in his vehicle. The suspects continued to fire at the vehicle, striking it and two nearby residences.
“It appears to be a targeted event,” BCSO spokesperson Maj. Robert Bromage said at the time.
The victim met deputies and emergency medical personnel at the Shell station located at 2770 Trask Parkway. Deputies were directed to the location of the shooting.
“We found the crime scene and found some shell casings,” Bromage said. “The two suspects were at that location.”
Brown and Williams were arrested and a search warrant was executed for a residence on Pinecrest Lane. The search turned up two handguns and a rifle.
Tony Kukulich is a recent transplant to the Lowcountry. A native of Wilmington, Del., he comes to The Island News from the San Francisco Bay Area where he spent seven years as a reporter and photographer for several publications. He can be reached at tony.theislandnews@gmail.com.
