South Carolina man fatally shot after entering booby-trapped home, authorities say
A man was fatally shot after setting off a booby-trapped shotgun while checking on a family member's residence in a small South Carolina town, authorities said Wednesday.
Deputies responded to a report of a shooting at a residence in Saint Matthews, South Carolina, on Monday evening, according to the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office. Upon arriving at the scene, deputies discovered Jordan Dove, 34, with an "apparent gunshot wound," the sheriff's office said.
Calhoun County Emergency Medical Services transported Dove to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to the sheriff's office. Dove, who was from Lugoff, a community about 45 miles northeast of Saint Matthews, is believed to have been shot while checking on a vacant residence that belonged to a family member.
"Upon getting on scene, it was determined very quickly that the discharge of the firearm came from inside theresidence," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "It was believed at that time, the residence may have been booby-trapped."
Deputies set a perimeter around the residence and "slowly" entered the home, where they "encountered a shotgun that was rigged at the back door to go off once anyone attempted to gain entry," according to the sheriff's office. A further investigation into the residence revealed that the front door was barricaded shut with no other occupants inside the home.
Deputies then dismantled the shotgun from the trap and secured the area while investigators processed the crime scene, the sheriff's office said.
Charges will be "forthcoming" against the homeowner, identified as Alfonzo Brown, who is currently in prison out of state, according to the sheriff's office. The investigation remains ongoing but authorities noted that the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.
"This was a very dangerous situation that appeared to be targeted towards law enforcement," Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said in the statement. "It is yet another example of the dangers faced by law enforcement every day."
Who is Alfonzo Brown?
Summers told television station WLTX that Brown is currently in jail in Maryland. The sheriff said Dove was Brown's nephew, WLTX reported.
"(Brown) knew he would be on the run. He knew that he would be tracked back to Calhoun County and then of course we go there with probably a search warrant," Summers told WLTX. "(Dove) just went by there to check the house to be sure it hadn't been burglarized or broken into just to check the property."
Online court records in Prince George's County, Maryland, — just east of Washington, D.C. — showed that Brown faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and firearm use.
On Jan. 11, Prince George’s County Police said they were searching for Brown, 66, who was identified as a person of interest in a triple, non-fatal shooting in Clinton, an unincorporated community in Prince George's County.
Police told television station WUSA9 that two men and a woman were found shot, and were taken to the hospital in stable condition. Police said the victims were Brown’s family members, WUSA9 reported.
Brown was later arrested and is currently being held without bond, according to court records.
Other cases involving booby-trapped homes
Other cases of booby traps being discovered in homes across the United States have made headlines in recent years.
Last November, a 61-year-old man was accused of booby-trapping inside a garage at a Southern California home, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. While responding to a report of shots fired at the Santa Monica residence, officers found a "shotgun shell mounted on top of a workbench" inside the garage, police said.
"The shell had been rigged with a spring-loaded firing pin and wire attached to the end of the pin and the garage door," police said in a news release. "Officers determined the wire was set to pull the pin out of the housing and fire the shell toward the door when opened."
A second shotgun shell with a similar firing pin and tripwire set up was also discovered next to a pedestrian gate in another area of the house, according to police.
"This shell, which had been altered to be a sound diversion device (no projectile) had been recently discharged and is believed to be the source of the original Shots Fired call," police added.
Officers then evacuated the home and called the Los Angeles County bomb squad to clear the home of additional booby traps, according to police. Police said the suspect, identified as Arthur Tabuchi, was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation and faces charges of assembling, placing and maintaining a booby trap.
In December 2023, a southern Oregon man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for booby-trapping his former home in the community of Williams and injuring a federal officer, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors said Gregory Lee Rodvelt, who was 72 years old at the time of his sentencing, rigged his home with multiple "Indiana Jones" inspired booby traps, KGW-TV reported. Rodvelt had lost his home in a lawsuit and "proceeded to booby trap it" when he learned that a receiver had been appointed to sell the property, according to prosecutors.
Bomb technicians from the Oregon State Police and FBI went to clear the property in 2018, where they observed various booby traps, prosecutors said. An FBI bomb technician was struck by a shotgun shell after bumping into a wheelchair that triggered a homemade shotgun device.