Anthony Roberson, 23, convicted of attempted murder after wounding five in Jasper County shooting.
A Yemassee man who unleashed a hail of gunfire on two cars of innocent people — striking two children and a pregnant woman — has been convicted and sentenced to prison.
Anthony Denzel Roberson, 23, of Gopher Lane in Hampton County, pleaded guilty on Monday to five counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing a weapon during a violent crime. The charges stem from a terrifying 2023 shooting in Jasper County that left five people wounded.
The violence erupted on 31 August 2023 at a gas station just off Interstate 95 at Exit 33 in Pocotaligo, an unincorporated community in South Carolina. Prosecutors said Roberson opened fire as families attempted to flee in two separate vehicles. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as a black pickup truck gave chase, spraying bullets at the cars until they were forced off the roadway.
Both drivers and passengers were targeted in the shocking ambush. One child sitting in the backseat was struck, along with the driver of one of the vehicles. A victim’s injuries were so severe they required emergency airlifting to the hospital.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Jasper County shooting sparked outrage, particularly because of the vulnerability of the victims. In total, five people were injured — including two children and a pregnant woman who were simply caught in the line of fire.
Roberson was originally set to face trial in September but abandoned that defence, entering guilty pleas to all charges. Circuit Judge handed down concurrent sentences of 15 years on each attempted murder count and five years for the weapons offence. Because attempted murder is not eligible for parole in South Carolina, Roberson will serve the full term behind bars.
Assistant Solicitor Trasi Campbell prosecuted the case as part of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Career Criminal Unit, which focuses on the circuit’s most violent and repeat offenders. Campbell emphasised the gravity of the crimes and the danger posed to the wider community.
“This was indiscriminate gunfire at close range, targeting families, including children,” Campbell said in court. “The fact that lives were not lost is nothing short of a miracle.”
Authorities confirmed that a co-defendant, 20-year-old Markel Frazier of Yemassee, still faces pending charges of five counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in connection with the same incident. His case has not yet gone to trial, and he remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The convictions highlight the effectiveness of the 14th Circuit’s Career Criminal Unit, which has secured 526 convictions out of 578 prosecutions since its creation in 2009. The unit is tasked with removing the region’s most violent offenders from communities across Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties.
Local residents say the outcome delivers a measure of relief, though the memory of the shooting still haunts those who live near the Pocotaligo exit. Gas station workers recalled the fear and confusion as families rushed for safety while bullets ripped into their cars.
For the victims, the scars of that night endure. While all five survived, some continue to deal with lasting physical injuries and trauma from the ordeal.
Roberson, once scheduled to fight the charges, now faces a future defined by his conviction. At just 23 years old, he will spend what should have been the prime of his life inside a South Carolina prison cell, serving the maximum penalty the law allows without parole.