Deputies: Chester SC mom charged in child’s death had been deer hunting on Thanksgiving
A South Carolina mother charged with fatally shooting her 6-year-old son on Thanksgiving had been hunting deer before the child was shot, according to law enforcement documents.
Mary Amelia Rosborough, 31, of Chester, was arrested Thursday after her son died of a gunshot wound at a home in the Blackstock community, Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery said.
Rosborough had shot a deer on Thanksgiving about an hour before her son was shot with a .243 caliber deer rifle, according to a Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by The Herald.
Rosborough was trying to reload the gun after the child was shot but was tackled by her brother, the report stated. The brother had rushed in from another room after hearing the shot and found the child wounded, the report stated.
The brother held Rosborough on the ground until deputies arrived and took Rosborough into custody, the report stated.
Deputies seized the rifle and ammunition, according to the incident report.
Motive remains unclear
No motive for the shooting has been released.
The shooting happened on Old Douglass Road in Blackstock, an area that straddles the county line between Chester and Fairfield. Deputies from both counties responded to the home, reports show.
Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill said Monday he is not releasing the name of the child who died because of the child’s age.
What happens now?
Rosoborough was booked Friday and remains in the Fairfield County jail without bond. She is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. She was denied bail in a magistrate court hearing over the weekend, records show.
A conviction for murder in South Carolina carries a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
It remains unclear if Rosborough will be assigned a public defender, said William Frick, 6th Circuit Public Defender.
The investigation into the killing remains ongoing by Fairfield County deputies and the State Law Enforcement Division, said Ryan Alphin, SLED spokesman. SLED is required to investigate all non-natural death child fatalities in South Carolina under state law.
