An Aiken man shot his nephew dead inside a patient room at University Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
Charles William Gorrell, 85, of Aiken, has been charged with murder and weapon possession in the death of 59-year-old Tim Douglas Grooms of Lincolnton, Ga.
Officers were called to shots fired in a patient room on the 7th floor of University Hospital. Upon arrival, officers found Grooms dead of at least two gunshot wounds to the upper body.
Gorrell was immediately taken into custody and was being held without bond at the Richmond County Jail.
Gorrell’s wife was being treated at University Hospital for an undisclosed condition. Grooms is the nephew of Gorrell’s wife.
“A long standing dispute over family matters apparently existed between Gorrell and Grooms,” sheriff’s Capt. Scott Peebles said in a press release.
Gorrell stood by to be taken into custody immediately after the incident. University Hospital Security arrived on scene nearly immediately and were responsible for detaining Gorrell and securing the area.
“Their quick response is to be credited with containing the incident and keeping others from being injured,” Capt. Peebles said. “At no time were any of the staff, other patients or visitors to the hospital in any danger. The act was not random in nature and Grooms was an intended target. There is no indication that Gorrell threatened or intended to harm anyone else.”
An autopsy will likely be conducted Wednesday by the GBI Crime Lab, the captain said.









Don’t know the people involved or why it happened, but it just makes me so sad…Praying for all of them.
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it just seems like it had to be something to push this 85 yr old man like that with his wife in hospital
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**** thats all i can say
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Fck that how he die in the **** hospital??? Now thats the crazy part…..
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I do know this man and have for 25+ years. He’s a good man. I’m sad that this has happened.
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I do know this man and have for 25+ years. He’s a good man. I’m sad that this has happened.
Report this comment
I do know this man and have for 25+ years. He’s a good man. I’m sad that this has happened.
Report this comment