Suspect arrested weeks after Aiken County drive-by shooting

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A 23-year-old has been arrested nearly two months after attempting to murder his family in a drive-by shooting, according to authorities.

On Aug. 15, around 3:20 a.m., dispatch confirmed they heard two to three shots during a 911 call, sending deputies to the 3100 block of Silver Bluff Road.

The victims told deputies the two were awake when they heard loud banging and gunshots from their front porch.

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One of the victims stated that her son and the suspect, Demonte Smith, 23, of Aiken, had pulled up to the house and shot a couple of rounds through the house, damaging the front doors, windows, and their vehicle in front of the house.

There were no injuries from the shooting, though deputies confirmed they did observe damage to the house and vehicle, ing the victims’ statement of the sequence of events.

Smith’s mother told deputies she is unsure what could have caused him to commit this crime; however, she did state he had been living with his aunt and believed he could partaking in drug activity.

Authorities say she claimed to identify Smith when he allegedly stuck his head through the broken glass from the front windows, authorities say.

She told deputies that another family member, Smith’s brother, was in the residence during the incident.

Smith was arrested on Friday and charged with three counts of assault and attempted murder, one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and malicious injury to property, according to jail records.