2 sought in fatal shooting of driver in Saluda County car crash

SALUDA, S.C.. (WRDW/WAGT) - After a car crash victim was found to have actually died from a gunshot wound, the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office has identified and obtained arrest warrants for two suspects.

Bernard Gilliam Jr. and Tridarin Weaver, are both charged with the offenses of murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to authorities.

According to authorities, the driver of the car, Alex K. Donaldson, 26, of Orangeburg, was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the accident happened around 10 p.m. Jan. 20 on May Branch Road, near Main Road, about 10 miles west of Saluda. A 2017 Nissan Altima that was traveling south on May Branch Road ran off the side of the road and hit a mailbox and a ditch, then flipped over.

According to the Saluda County Coroner’s Office, Donaldson died of a gunshot wound, and his death has been ruled a homicide.

If you have any information relating to the whereabouts of Gilliam and Weaver, contact the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office.

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