Hardeeville man acquitted in shooting death

BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — A Beaufort County jury has acquitted a Hardeeville man in the shooting death of his daughter’s boyfriend four years ago.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports (http://bit.ly/1wzs9ii ) that the jury deliberated about an hour Wednesday before returning the not guilty verdict in the case of 55-year-old Gary Lee Simmons.

Simmons had been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 30-year-old Alvin Sosa in 2010. Simmons’ attorney argued that Simmons acted in self-defense.

Authorities say Simmons admitted earlier to shooting Sosa twice after he trailed Simmons and Simmons’ daughter on Hilton Head Island and then confronted Simmons with a knife and a pair of brass knuckles.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com