Summerville man has been charged with possessing a weapon as a felon but will not be charged in connection to shooting and killing his 27-year-old son in June of 2024. His actions were deemed self-defense,according to an incident report from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office.
Ronald McDonald, 61, was booked at the Dorchester County Detention Center on Aug. 26, 2024, the incident report states.
On June 26, 2024, deputies responded to a shooting on Cone Lane in Summerville around 3 a.m. On arrival, Ronald McDonald was yelling that his son Cody McDonald was shot on the porch.
Deputies saw a man with no shirt, laying on the ground in front of the residence with a gunshot wound to the neck, according to the report. Deputies began doing chest compressions until EMS could arrive.
While attempting to detain Ronald, he reportedly got combative and deputies put him on the ground to detain him, the report states. He was then placed in the back of a patrol vehicle.
Deputies found a large amount of blood and a wooden-handled rifle laying on the floor of the residence.
Investigators determined Ronald and his son Cody got into a physical altercation before Ronald shot Cody to death.
After reviewing with the First Circuit Solicitor’s Office, they determined the shooting to be self defense and no charges would be filed in relation to the death of Cody McDonald.
However, Ronald was not legally allowed to own the firearm and ammunition due to prior felony convictions and he was booked on that charge.
The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office has submitted its findings in the death of a police dog to the State Law Enforcement Division amid public concern over circumstances surrounding the loss in which the animal was found inside his handler’s vehicle.
Lt. Chaz Easterlin, who works in the Office of Professional Standards at the sheriff’s office, clarified at an Aug. 30 news conference that information from the case was sent to SLED for an independent investigation.
“From the moment we became aware of the situation, our priorities have always been to ensure a thorough and comprehensive investigation, as ordered by Sheriff L.C. Knight,” Easterlin said.
He added that the sheriff supports SLED’s investigation and the sheriff’s office will “cooperate fully with them throughout this process.”
The K-9 died late in the day on July 28, Easterlin said. The office’s initial news release on July 30 about the death said the dog was over 5 years old and was found in his handler’s vehicle at the time of his death.
Neither the name nor breed of dog have been publicly released.
An Aug. 29 statement released on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page emphasized that the office is “ACTIVELY investigating the untimely death of one of our K-9 officers.”
“Given the sensitive nature of this incident, to ensure transparency and thoroughness, we have forwarded the findings to an external agency for an investigative review,” the statement said.
The statement said the office is limited in what information it can share but noted the entire file will be made public after the external review.
The Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) and the Dorchester County Coroner’s Office are investigating the shooting. McDonald’s body will undergo an autopsy on June 27 at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).