SUMMERVILLE, SC (WCSC) -
The Dorchester County Coroner's Office has identified the 36-year-old man shot dead in a Summerville subdivision late Wednesday.
Coroner Chris Nisbet identified the victim as John Elliot Hancock, who was apparently sitting in a car that had just arrived a little before midnight at his mother's home on Lilac Drive. The home is located in the Robynwyn subdivision, off Highway 78.
According to Nisbet, Hancock was accompanied by a male relative and a woman. Summerville Police Department Captain Jon Rogers said a car then pulled up and a shooter emerged from the vehicle and started firing shots.
Rogers said Hancock got out of the car and tried to run, but was fatally wounded by gunshots.
"He never hurt anybody," said Hancock's sister Barbara Williams. "He don't even gossip. He didn't deserve this. This was a coward job."
"This is what's plaguing a lot of communities like this," said Summerville Town Councilman Aaron Brown. "It's a pretty good community, but you get these young bucks and they settle everything with violence."
Police say they have not made any arrests and are looking for a mid-sized 4-door car, possibly a Pontiac Oldsmobile that is silver or tan in color.
Police said witnesses told them several people were inside the car that sped away from the scene following the shooting.
Two cars in the driveway were hit with bullets, Rogers said. Hancock was pronounced dead at the scene. Coroner Nisbet said, "It is unclear, to me, at this time if he was first struck while in the vehicle, but he was obviously struck multiple times outside of the vehicle."
Nisbet also said, "It is very interesting to me that he was the only one hit, being that police recovered dozens of shell casings."
"There were a lot of shots fired...we got a lot of evidence that says there were a lot of shots fired," said Rogers.
"This is something where we have to have a lot of help from the community, we have to have help from folks who have some information," Rogers added.
If you know anything, call Crime Stoppers at 554-1111 or the Summerville Police Department at 871-2463.
Copyright 2012 WCSC. All rights reserved.
The victim, John Hancock. (Source: Facebook)
