Eastside shooting injures residents, police Monday night

Several Charleston residents, a Charleston police officer and two Charleston County sheriff’s deputies were injured at a Monday night shooting sparked during a block party in the peninsula’s Eastside neighborhood.

A Charleston Police Department (CPD) officer was dispatched around 11:40 p.m. in response to a neighborhood block party after receiving a noise complaint. According to reports, investigators believe the officer to have been caught in the crossfire when the shooting began.

Initial reports indicate at least 10 people were shot, including the officer, according to multiple sources contacted by City Paper. The two county deputies were assaulted while assisting police in controlling the crowd. One deputy was struck in the face, and the other was knocked to the ground. Both were treated for minor injuries, including cuts to the face, head and arms, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Andrew Knapp.

The officer was transported to a local hospital for minor injuries due to the gunfire. Several others were transported for injuries sustained in the shooting as well.

Two people have been arrested in relation to the shooting, according to Knapp. Tahira McGee, 50, of North Charleston was charged with second-degree assault and battery and resisting arrest. Ayesha Saleemah McGee, 26, of North Charleston was charged with third-degree assault and battery.

It has not yet been determined how the violence broke out or why the crowd had gathered in the first place. Social media posts, however, had been advertising a block party in the area for that night going back as far as April 30.

In addition to the Charleston Police Department, City Paper has reached out to city council members William Dudley Gregorie and Robert Mitchell, whose district includes the Eastside neighborhood. Neither has yet responded to requests for comment prior to publication.

This is a developing story. Follow Charleston City Paper for more information.