ACSO deputies return fire on suspect after domestic dispute in Graniteville

Darius Porter shot at deputies at the Palisades Apartment complex in Graniteville on Wednesday, authorities say.

Date: March 13, 2025

A state investigation has been requested into an officer-involved shooting in Aiken County that occurred early Wednesday at The Palisades Apartments in Graniteville after a homeless man fired shots, disturbing nearby residents.

Aiken County deputies returned fire when the suspect shot at them, but no one was injured.

Darius Porter, 38, was arrested and charged with aggravated breach of peace and possession of firearm or ammunition by person convicted of a previous drug offense.

According to a sheriff’s report, a resident identified Porter as her ex-boyfriend and stated that he came to her apartment early in the morning, banging on her door. The report notes that Porter was loudly knocking on a door at 1:22 a.m. Wednesday and firing approximately five shots in the apartment complex breezeway, waking up several residents.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they found Porter mumbling to himself and attempted to detain him. However, he resisted arrest.  

“Darius then fired a gun in an attempt to harm deputies,” a report says. “Shots were returned by deputies and Darius then fled.”

Porter was later captured on Jefferson Davis Highway, but deputies were unable to locate the weapon. The ex-girlfriend told authorities that Porter had previously caused damage to her door, forcing her to replace it.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has been requested to investigate the officer-involved shooting.

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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