Bond set at $950k for man accused of shooting truck driver

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Bond was set at $950,000 for a 26-year-old man accused of shooting a Budweiser delivery driver outside a corner store on Montague Avenue on Monday.

Police spokesman Spencer Pryor said investigators arrested Melvin Smalls III Wednesday night and charged him with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

State Law Enforcement Division records show it's not Smalls' first brush with the law.  In October 2007, he was convicted of strong armed robbery.  One year later, he was arrested for unlawful carrying of a weapon and criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature.

In early 2009, Smalls was arrested for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base.

On Monday, officers responded to the area of East Montague Avenue, near Luella Avenue, at 1:02 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting.

When authorities arrived, several witnesses said a Budweiser truck driver was shot inside the back of the truck. Officers found the 24-year-old victim, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to his side, inside the truck.

A co-worker said the victim was shot while he was on a lift at the back of the truck. The co-worker told police that as soon as he realized the victim was shot, he dragged him back inside of the truck.

Witnesses told police that a man in dark clothing got out of a brown PT cruiser and fired several shots towards the Budweiser truck.

The co-worker told 911 dispatch the suspect fired between 15 and 20 shots at the truck.

According to the witnesses, the suspect then ran from the scene towards Montague and Gaynor avenues. Officers found five shell casings in the roadway at the corner of Luella and East Montague.

The driver was taken to Medical University of South Carolina to be treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.

Charleston County School District officials said Hursey Elementary School and Morningside Elementary School were briefly locked down due to shots being fired in the area.

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