Barnwell County authorities are searching for any evidence that could lead them to the killer of a well-liked Springfield pastor believed to have been shot while fishing Friday.

Barnwell County Sheriff Ed Carroll said the body of 51-year-old Phillip McCreary Sr., an associate pastor at a Blackville church, was found at a fishing hole along the Edisto River late Friday night. McCreary had been shot at least once.

"It's an active investigation," Carroll said. "It was just a senseless murder."

McCreary was found near the "three bridges" area between Orangeburg and Barnwell counties on S.C. Highway 39.

A 911 call for help went out around 11 p.m. Friday when a concerned citizen notified police. The citizen had gone to the area to look for McCreary after he was reported overdue from a fishing trip.

"We initially responded to the scene because it was so close to the line and because of the victim being a Springfield resident," Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office spokesman Thomas Brown said. "It turned out to be in Barnwell County."

Carroll said the Barnwell County authorities took over from there, trying to determine who took the life of a person Carroll said appeared to be a well-liked minister.

"From everything everybody says, he was a decent fellow," the sheriff said. "He frequently fished down there, he was an avid fisherman."

Terry Weatherby said she had just gotten through with her paper route early Saturday when she heard the news from a neighbor.

Weatherby said, "I'm just shocked." Weatherby said she has known McCreary's wife, Annie, "all her life," and the reverend for the past several years.

"His church members just loved him, and his pastor, and a lot of people in the community," Weatherby said.

Nicole Mills, a member of Macedonia Baptist Church, where McCreary had served as associate pastor for years, said she knew the minister for at least the past decade.

"He was like a spiritual father to me. He helped me through a lot of stuff," the 24-year-old Mills recalls. "He was so understanding."

At this point, authorities believe the shooting was an isolated incident, but aren't sure if this was a random shooting or what would motivate someone to murder the Springfield minister. McCreary's pick-up truck was located at the river, which would seemingly rule out car theft.

"It's (the investigation) still in the preliminary stages," Carroll said. The state Law Enforcement Division is assisting in the investigation.

Mills said she couldn't imagine someone singling out McCreary for murder. She describes the minister as an outgoing individual who never met a stranger.

"He would introduce himself and in a few minutes he would have you laughing," Mills said.

Investigators are asking anyone with any information or who may have been in that area between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to give police a call. The BCSO can be reached at 803-541-1078, or SLED can be reached at 803-737-9000.

"Anybody fishing down in that area, please give us a call," Carroll said. "If you call here and leave a message, we'll have a detective call you back ASAP."

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

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