Driver kills man in intersection

LADSON -- With a stranger trying to break into his car as he waited at a stoplight, a motorist pulled a handgun and fatally shot the would-be burglar early Wednesday, according to sheriff's deputies.

Artremain Grant, 31, of Adams Run died in the intersection of Ladson Road and U.S. Highway 78 about 4:35 a.m., according to the Charleston County coroner's office.

Authorities refused to name the shooter or release recordings of the 911 call he made because he could be "in danger of retaliation," sheriff's spokesman Maj. Jim Brady said.

Deputies think the gunman thwarted a carjacking or a robbery, explaining that he feared for his safety when he fired the gun, which was in his Toyota Camry legally. But the investigators had not found anyone else who saw the incident.

Deputies canvassed nearby businesses, including Hess and Exxon gas stations and an Advance Auto Parts store, for any surveillance video. Only one lane of the intersection was closed during the investigation.

"There might have been one car in front of him at the light," Brady said. "We don't know if that car pulled off. (Deputies) checked the area, but they didn't find anyone."

The gunman told deputies he was driving on Ladson Road when he stopped for a red light at U.S. 78. That's when Grant got out of a vehicle that had stopped behind the gunman, deputies said.

"(Grant) was grabbing on the door, pulling on the handle," Brady said. "He may have banged on the (passenger) window."

That's when the driver shot through the glass, killing the would-be burglar with a single shot.

Grant has a lengthy list of arrests since 2003 in South Carolina, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. He has been convicted multiple times for possession of cocaine and crack. His latest arrest on a cocaine charge was in 2009.

Brady said the gunman sped away, again fearful that he would be followed by whomever was still in the vehicle behind him.

He drove more than 2 miles east on U.S. 78 and pulled off the road near Wannamaker County Park, where he dialed 911.

Responding to an S.C. Freedom of Information Act request for the 911 recordings, county spokeswoman Tracey Amick said their release would

"compromise the investigation" because the caller had identified himself.

The Post and Courier asked that the name be redacted, and Brady explained that the Sheriff's Office needed time to further investigate the case.

"We are actively investigating the identity of the second vehicle involved as well as the driver of that vehicle," he said. "Releasing the identity of the shooter places him in danger of retaliation."

Reach Andrew Knapp at 937-5414 or on Twitter at @offlede.