Two die in Florence workplace domestic shooting

By Kevin Smetana and Jamie Rogers
Published: July 11, 2008

FLORENCE — A Darlington man shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself during an argument the two had at the woman’s job early Friday, Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said.

Robert L. Edwards, 64, and his wife, 61-year-old Miriam H. Edwards, died in the shooting, Florence County Coroner M.G. “Bubba” Matthews said.

It appears Robert Edwards shot his wife twice in the upper body with a .38-caliber revolver, then shot himself once in the head, Matthews said.

Florence County sheriff’s deputies responded to the incident about 10:30 a.m., Boone said.

An employee of Lewis-Goetz and Co., an industrial supplies distributor at 1207 Broughton Blvd., found the two dead behind the woman’s desk in a front office of the building, Matthews said.

An employee told Matthews that the husband of a woman who worked at Lewis-Goetz was in the building and arguing with the woman.

The employee told Matthews “he could hear something going on.”

The employee said it wasn’t clear if both people were arguing, but he said he heard the man “talking loud,” followed by loud noises, Matthews said.

Miriam Edwards had apparently been living at her late mother’s house in Florence, Matthews said.

Robert Edwards had been living with a close friend and former neighbor in Darlington for about a week prior to the shooting.

The friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he’d last spoken to Robert Edwards at about midnight Thursday.

“He sounded like he’d been drinking ... I’d told him before, ‘You’re welcome here, but no alcohol,” he said.

He said he told Robert Edwards he wasn’t allowed in the home Thursday, so he had apparently gotten a room at motel.

“He said, ‘I’m going to stay here and think things over,’ and I thought that sounded strange,” he said. “Sometimes I think and I feel guilty. Maybe it was something I said that made him go off and do that.”

The former neighbor said didn’t even know about the shooting until Darlington police, along with about eight deputies from the Darlington County and Florence County sheriff’s offices, showed up as his door Friday.

“I never would have thought in a million years Robert would do something like that. He had a gun I, knew about that,” he said, “… but I didn’t think he would. It must have been a bad argument.”

The neighbor said Robert Edwards had lived on his street for about five years before moving to a home in the Darlington County with Miriam Edwards. It was his second marriage, he said.

The couple had parted ways a few weeks ago, he said.

Darlington Police Capt. Danny Watson said police had a standoff with Robert Edwards at his home in 1996 because he was threatening to do harm to himself.

“He was intoxicated. The standoff lasted several hours, but the incident was resolved peacefully,” Watson said. “A weapon was supposedly in the home but we did not seize one.”

After that incident, police had no more encounters with Robert Edwards, Watson said.

Authorities said Robert Edwards had overcome an addiction but recently had a relapse.

“This was a very tough situation. Our heart goes out to the family,” Watson said.

Florence County sheriff’s deputies are still working with other agencies to determine how the situation developed, Boone said.

“I can tell you, there’s some history there,” Boone said.

Miriam Edwards had been employed with the company for about 10 years, Boone said.

“She was smart, well-educated. She was kind of the breadwinner in the house,” the Edwards’ former neighbor said. “They went to church together.”

Willy Richburg, general manager for the Midsouth region of Lewis-Goetz, arrived at the scene of the shooting a few hours after it happened.

“We’re saddened at the tragedy that happened here today,” Richburg said. “Right now we don’t have enough information to make a statement; however, we are gathering information, and as soon as we do have enough, we’ll be glad to make a statement.”

Mark Fisher, an employee at UMETCO, a cobalt alloy melting company beside Lewis-Goetz, said he didn’t hear any gunshots.  He and other employees in the area stood outside their offices while authorities conducted their investigation.

The shooting shattered a peace that prevailed at the industrial park, Fisher said.

“It’s very, very quiet here,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know this industrial park is here.”

Shawnda McNeil, director of Heritage Community Services, which is across the street from Lewis-Goetz, said nobody from her company heard any gunfire.

“It’s (usually) very quiet and not much going on, so we’re kind of shocked that this would happen in this area,” McNeil said.

Lewis-Goetz and Co., based in Pittsburgh, recently purchased Samson Industrial, as the business in Florence was known.