Authorities call deadly shooting self-defense
By BENNY LEE SMITH | Staff Writer
Posted on October 23, 2003

Authorities have ruled Monday afternoon’s shooting death of a Woodruff
man as
an act of self-defense.

Woodruff Police and Seventh Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy’s office agreed
that
26-year-old Tyrone Davis Alexander fatally shot 22-year-old Chadwick
Avandoor
Shelton in self-defense.

An incident report listed the men as acquaintances.

The fatal shooting happened about 2:30 p.m. Monday. Woodruff police were
called to a residence at 476 Sharpe St. in response to a shooting.

When an officer arrived, he saw Shelton lying on the ground in the front
yard
of the house with a gun lying under his right hand.

The officer checked Shelton for a pulse then checked to see whether EMS
was on
the way. The officer then began asking people standing around the yard
what
happened.

Alexander approached him and said, “I did it; I shot him,” according to
an
incident report.

Another officer arrived and took the revolver from Alexander.

In the meantime, EMS workers arrived and transported Shelton’s body to
Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.

Officers then took Alexander into custody and transported him to the
Woodruff
Police Department for questioning.

Alexander, who lives in Woodruff, told officers that he was inside
Natasha
Dianna Pena’s residence when the incident occurred.

Both Pena and Alexander said Shelton and another masked man came through
the
front door of the home and pulled out guns.

The men told Alexander to “Give it up.”

Alexander told officers that the two men pushed him into Pena’s bedroom
and
kept threatening to shoot him. Alexander said he then reached for a gun
and
shot Shelton, who immediately fell to the floor.

The other man, whom Alexander identified, ran out of the room and out of
the
house. Authorities had not issued a warrant for the man by Wednesday
evening.

A wounded Shelton crawled out of the home into the front yard of the
house.

Spartanburg County Coroner Investigator Alan Mason said an autopsy
performed
Tuesday revealed that Shelton, who lived on 236 Buncombe St., died from
a
single gunshot wound to the chest.