Man accused of killing mother in murder-attempted suicide released from hospital, booked into jail

Officials with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office say a man who is accused of killing his...
Officials with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office say a man who is accused of killing his mother in a murder and attempted suicide incident on James Island has been released from the hospital.(Live 5)
Published: Jan. 28, 2022 at 6:04 PM EST
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JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Officials with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office say a man who is accused of killing his mother in a murder and attempted suicide incident on James Island has been released from the hospital.

On Friday afternoon, 56-year-old John Thomas Schaefer was released from MUSC and transported to the detention center on charges of murder and possession of a firearm in a violent crime in the death of 83-year-old Carole Schaefer.

It happened on Jan. 3 at a home on the 1200 block of Oceanview Road on Jan. 3.

A deputy initially responded to the home to assist fire and EMS crews for a reported stroke victim. When the deputy got to the home firefighters were on the scene and said that there was was a deceased woman in a chair.

The deputy said he saw the victim, who suffered a gunshot wound, sitting in a chair in the dining room. The deputy also reported observing a rifle on the floor of the kitchen and the suspect, who was suffering a gunshot wound, on the floor lying on his stomach.

The incident report states that as emergency crews attempted to help the suspect, the suspect tried to reach for the rifle on the floor. The sheriff’s office said at that time, a firefighter pinned the suspect down on the floor and the deputy removed the rifle from the area.

Deputies say the suspect was taken to an area hospital at that time for treatment of “a serious gunshot wound.”

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