A Florida man was taken into custody Sunday morning after a shooting at the Love’s Travel Center in Summerton left a local man injured, according to the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Tim Baxley said the shooting occurred around 7:55 a.m. outside the truck stop, near the fuel pumps. The victim suffered gunshot wounds to his shoulder and thigh. He was airlifted to Prisma Health Richland and is in stable condition.
Deputies, with assistance from South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers, apprehended the suspected shooter shortly after the incident near the travel center. The suspect, 34-year-old Robert Louis Hardnett II, has a last known address in Florida but is believed to be staying in the Summerton area. He was taken to the Clarendon County Detention Center, where he is being held pending warrants.
Investigators said the motive for the shooting remains unclear, and it is not yet known whether Hardnett and the victim knew one another.
Because the shooting happened within the Summerton town limits at a time when no town police officers were on duty, the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation.
The case remains active. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 803-433-8477.
