SHOOTING DEATH BLAMED ON DRUGS

Sheriff's Office Says Man, 23, Died In Deal Gone Bad

Detectives are investigating the shooting death of a James Island
man gunned down outside a Fort Johnson Road gathering spot late
Friday in a hail of bullets that might have included an AK-47 assault rifle.

The shooting was described as a drug deal gone bad, and authorities
said they were alarmed by the power of the weaponry involved. As
many as 15-20 shots were fired.

Two men who wrecked in a bullet-holed vehicle while trying to flee
the scene were questioned in the case but later released. They
remain persons of interest.

The dead man was identified as Vladimir Merlice, 23, of James
Island. He was shot once in the head but not by an AK-47 ammunition,
said Charleston County Deputy Coroner Bobbi Jo O'Neal.

Merlice died at the scene.

The gunfire took place outside a building used as a local
neighborhood gathering spot near the 1100 block of Fort Johnson Road
at Aaron White Lane, but it is not licensed as an operating business.

"It's one of those little rural hole-in-the-wall places," Maj. John
Clark, spokesman for the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, said
Saturday. Numerous shell casings were found at the scene.

Clark said authorities have dealt with heavy weaponry of this nature
before in fighting the drug trade, but, he added, "It's a bit scary
to see that that's what this has come to."

The drug deal reportedly involved marijuana. The two suspects who
were detained confirmed they were meeting with the victim to buy
drugs, Clark said.

"At some point during this transaction, there was some kind of
altercation and shots were fired," said Clark, who added there does
not appear to be sufficient evidence at present connecting either
man to committing homicide.

The men were apprehended shortly after the shooting when their car
wrecked into a ditch at a high speed about 150 yards from the scene.
The vehicle was towed and searched. The weapon used in the fatal
shooting has not been recovered.

The shooting represents the dangers of the drug trade, Clark said.
"It just went terribly wrong for the victim."