RIDGELAND, SC (Nov. 15, 2024) – A 28-year-old Jasper County man who targeted the wrong man during a shooting spree is headed to prison.
Bernard Marquis Primus of Pineland pleaded guilty Friday to attempted murder for shooting the father of a woman in whom he had a romantic interest. The man was struck at least six times and flown by helicopter to a Savannah hospital. He was treated for gunshot wounds to the thigh, lower legs and left side.
Primus received a 20-year prison sentence.
“This defendant hid under a tailgate before emptying his gun without abandon,” said James Sharpe of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Thankfully, the victim survived but only after having to be hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Things could have easily ended differently.
“Jasper County is a safer place with Mr. Primus behind bars.”
A neighbor’s surveillance camera captured Primus walking in the victim’s backyard shortly before the shooting at about 12:25 a.m. Oct. 9, 2022. The neighbor called the man to let him know someone was on his property, and when the victim went outside with a flashlight and stepped off the back porch, Primus opened fired from underneath his red Dodge pickup.
The bullets were apparently meant for the boyfriend of the girl he was interested in, not her father.
Jasper County Sheriff’s deputies soon found Primus walking on Grays Highway, less than a half mile from the shooting. Additionally, a police dog found a black pistol in the grass in front of the man’s home.
Circuit Court Judge G.D. Morgan, Jr., handed down Friday’s sentence.
Primus’ criminal record includes convictions for driving under suspension and disorderly conduct in Georgia.
Sharpe is an assistant solicitor and primarily prosecutes cases in Jasper County. He has been with the Solicitor’s Office since 2023.
