WASHINGTON, Sept 5, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - A prominent South Carolina lawyer
whose family has deep roots in regional law enforcement has been shot
in the head, just months after his son and wife were mysteriously
murdered, authorities said.

  The lawyer, Alex Murdaugh, was changing a tire on the side of a
country road when someone in a truck drove past, then returned and
fired at him, his lawyer, Jim Griffin, told The New York Times.

  Murdaugh, 53, survived and was airlifted to a hospital, where he was
able to describe the attack to his brother, media reports said.

  The sheriff's office in coastal Hampton County confirmed the
shooting and said it was investigating.

  The attack came three months after Murdaugh returned home one day to
find his wife, Maggie, and son Paul, a 22-year-old college student,
shot to death in their estate in the village of Islandton, in the
state's southwest.

  No arrests have been made in that June 7 case, and prosecutors said
recently that they still have no suspects.

  But the Murdaugh family's long history in law enforcement has drawn
intense attention and fueled speculation in the months since the
shootings.

  Alex Murdaugh's father, grandfather and great-grandfather all served
as top regional prosecutors.

  One line of speculation surrounding the double murder related to the
fact that Paul Murdaugh, at the time of his death, was awaiting trial
on charges stemming from a boat crash that killed a 19-year-old woman.

  Reports conflicted as to whether Paul Murdaugh was driving the boat
at the time.

  Following the roadside attack on Alex Murdaugh, the family issued a
statement, the Island Packet newspaper reported.

  It read: "The Murdaugh family has suffered through more than any one
family can ever imagine. We expect Alex to recover and ask for your
privacy while he recovers."

  The shooting has added to the family's deep sense of shock, lawyer
Griffin said.

  "It makes us all wonder what the hell's going on," he told the Times.