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Shooting at Church Shocks Congregation: Horry PD Chief: Case Fell to County After Local Police Arrived, Then Left

Posted on: Monday, 6 March 2006, 15:00 CST

By Kelly Fuller and Emma Ritch, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Mar. 6--Carma Russell was on her way Saturday night to church, where she was rushing to see three of her children perform in a play.

The 31-year-old mother of four was excited to be part of a play at Atlantic Beach Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, said the Rev. Windy Price, who had known Russell since she began attending services last year.

Russell never made it inside to see her children perform. She died in the church parking lot of a gunshot wound to the face.

Her boyfriend was being held Sunday at J. Reuben Long Detention Center in connection with her death, jail officials said, and charges are pending. The Sun News does not identify suspects until charges are filed.

Horry County Detective Toby Boyd said he hopes to file charges by 9 a.m. today and release more information about the case by noon.

Church members said tensions escalated between Russell and her boyfriend earlier in the week when they split. Russell moved in with the Price family after an argument with her boyfriend on Monday, Price said.

Police say they don't know whether there had been reports of domestic violence between the couple before the weekend.

Russell was driven to the church Saturday by Darnell Price, Windy Price's husband. Russell arrived at church with her children -- Ty Rudolph, 7, Dejane Rudolph, 5, and La Andreas Russell, 15 -- around 6:40 p.m., church officials said.

As Russell left Price's car, her boyfriend -- who was waiting in the street in front of the church -- called Russell over to a black van, said church member Patricia Robinson. Russell's children ran ahead into the church, she said.

Joseph Frierson, Russell's cousin, said the boyfriend looked at him as he knocked Russell down and pointed a gun at her head.

"I was coming into the church and I said, 'Well, this is it,'" he said. "I thought he was going to kill me."

Russell's boyfriend shot her once, killing her at the scene, said Horry County Coroner Robert Edge.

Church members, including about 15 children, rushed into a church office, where they prayed and cried and called police for help.

Witnesses say they called police repeatedly before officers arrived. Emergency dispatchers hung up three times on her husband, Price said.

A dispatcher with Horry County said she could not give response times for the incident.

Horry County Police Chief Johnny Morgan said Sunday that one of his officers responded to the incident to provide backup to Atlantic Beach officers, who were supposed to be the first responders.

"Our officer was on the scene for some time before Atlantic Beach [police] showed up. [Atlantic Beach police] looked around for a bit and then left," Morgan said. "We kind of assumed the investigation by default."

Morgan said he will take up the issue with Horry County Administrator Danny Knight. Atlantic Beach police could not be reached for comment Sunday.

"I know they have been having some problems up there as far as having enough officers," Morgan said. "But we were there strictly as a backup."

Church members complained Sunday that Russell's body lay exposed for several hours, with part of her body resting in the road.

Morgan said it is standard procedure to leave bodies uncovered until evidence is collected.

"When you put a sheet over a body, you remove evidence, and you can destroy certain trace evidence on the body, such as hair and fibers," Morgan said. "We try to just rope the area off and keep people back."

The scene inside the church office was pandemonium and lasted at least 45 minutes, Price said.

"We rushed back here and comforted the children," Price said. "We made sure her babies didn't see anything."

The boyfriend was taken into custody around 6:50 p.m., police said, which does not jibe with some witnesses' accounts of how long the incident lasted -- from the time Russell was shot to the time her boyfriend was taken into custody.

The Sun News requested tapes of the 911 calls and response times from Horry County. Spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said she would begin processing the request today.

Russell's estranged husband, Terry Rudolph, took custody of the children on Sunday. He said he would remain in Atlantic Beach for several days before returning to Alabama with the children.

Congregation members remained in shock as they gathered Sunday morning for a special service dedicated to Russell.

"It's a great loss," Price said as she watched children scamper around the building Sunday morning. "She was an awesome member."

Price said a special baptismal service will be held next week for Frierson, who has asked to be baptized in the ocean, just blocks from where Russell was killed. Church member Joseph Frierson received a special blessing during Sunday's church service.

"Though one was taken, another came to Christ," Price said. "I look at it that her life was not in vain."

Contact KELLY MARSHALL FULLER at 357-9187 or kfuller@thesunnews.com [mailto:kfuller@thesunnews.com]. Contact EMMA RITCH at 444-1722 or eritch@thesunnews.com [mailto:eritch@thesunnews.com].

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

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