Roger Baskins faces murder and other charges after a violent rampage ended with the fatal shooting of a business owner in Rock Hill.
LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — A 52-year-old man was charged with murder and multiple other offenses following a violent rampage Wednesday that began with a family dispute and ended with the fatal shooting of a business owner, authorities said.
Roger Baskins of Lancaster and Charlotte was arrested Wednesday night after allegedly threatening family members with a gun, stealing a vehicle, and fatally shooting 65-year-old Charles Wilburn Presler at his Rock Hill business, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident began at 5:56 p.m. Wednesday when deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at a home on Memorial Park Road where Baskins had been staying with relatives for several weeks, the sheriff’s office said in a release.
During an argument, Baskins allegedly pulled out a pistol and threatened a family member before firing several shots into one relative’s car and using a car battery to smash windows in two vehicles, authorities said. No one was injured in the initial incident.
After fleeing on foot, Baskins was spotted by family members on Willow Lake Road in Lancaster, who reported his location to police. When officers arrived, Baskins ran but was captured after a brief chase.
Investigators discovered Baskins had been driving a burgundy 1997 Toyota 4-Runner belonging to Presler. When Rock Hill police conducted a welfare check at Presler’s request, they found the business owner’s wife had been unable to contact him by phone.
Deputies subsequently found Presler dead from an apparent gunshot wound just inside the doorway of his business on Memorial Park Road, a short distance from where the domestic disturbance occurred. Evidence indicates Baskins arrived at the business about an hour after the family incident, authorities said.
Baskins was found in possession of documents belonging to Presler, and a pistol was recovered from the stolen vehicle. The victim appeared to have been robbed, according to investigators.
Baskins faces murder, armed robbery, burglary and multiple weapons charges in connection with Presler’s death. He also faces charges including pointing and presenting a firearm and malicious destruction of property related to the domestic incident.
A magistrate denied bond Thursday afternoon.
One of Presler’s loved ones reached out to WCNC Charlotte via our More Than A Number initiative, sharing that he was a loving father, husband, and grandfather. He worked along with his wife with children who live with autism.
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