An affair is allegedly at the root of shots being fired from a car as it sped through rush hour traffic in Newberry on Wednesday, chasing another car. The suspects had a sleeping 3-month-old child in the car with them.

Macallister Reid Jr., 21, of 196 Sutton Lane, Newberry, the accused shooter in the case, according to the incident report was having an affair with a married woman, Evette Dandy.

Reid and the mother of his child, Shaina Laquillah-Lynn Whitmore, 19, also of 196 Sutton Lane, Newberry, got into a fight with Evette Dandy and her husband, Anthony, around 5 p.m. in the parking lot of Bedenbaugh Liquor Store at 2443 Wilson Road near the intersection with SC Highway 121.

As the fight escalated, a 911 call was made stating that Reid had pulled a pistol on the others.

All parties then sped from the store, with the married couple calling 911 stating they were being chased by Reid. As the vehicles traveled on Mount Bethel-Garmany Road near the Highway Department, Reid allegedly began to shoot at the couple's car.

“The victim traveled on Highway 34 to Mt. Bethel Garmany Road, and then lost the suspect in the area of Short Cut Road. The suspect was driving a purple Impala with paper tags,“ describes Sheriff Lee Foster.

Reid then reportedly shot at the car two more times near Miles Road.

In a 911 call, Anthony Dandy can be heard telling dispatchers that he had been shot at and demanding his wife tell him where Reid lives.

Officers from the Sheriff's Office, Newberry Police Department, S.C. Highway Patrol and State Transport Police blanketed the area to search for the suspects.

Deputies had the chased couple drive to the Waffle House on Highway 34 as the search continued for the gunman.

“While the search for the vehicle was underway, officers were notified that the suspect had returned to the original incident location back on Wilson Road. Officers quickly surrounded the area, and two suspects were taken into custody without incident,“ said Foster.

In a 911 call, Reid told dispatchers he was at the liquor store and had been assaulted by Anthony Dandy who tried to cut him off while the two were driving around the Whitener Road area.

On the 911 tape, listeners can hear officers find Reid while he is still on the phone with dispatchers, ordering him to lie on the ground and tell them the location of the gun.

As officers arrested Reid and Whitmore and searched their vehicle, they found a 3-month-old child in a car seat in the back seat. The child was asleep.

“This is a horrible situation,“ said Foster. “These two people not only endangered many lives by chasing the victim and firing gunshots from a moving vehicle through one of the most congested areas in Newberry County, but to do so with an infant in the car in absolutely unforgivable. Every officer was absolutely enraged by the fact that this child was exposed to such violent and reckless behavior.“

The Sheriff's Office placed the child into emergency protective custody and given over to the custody of the S.C. Department of Social Services.

Foster added that when they searched Reid's vehicle, they recovered a 380 Highpoint pistol.

“A minimum of three to four shots were fired at the victim, and we are continuing the investigation into the exact details of the altercation and the events surrounding and during the shooting,“ Foster said yesterday.

No one was injured during the incident, and no bullets struck the victim's vehicle, “leaving officers to wonder just where those stray bullets may have struck,“ said Foster.

Reid and Whitmore were both arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill and unlawful conduct to a child. Bond on Reid was set at $20,000, for Whitmore it was $5,000.

The infant is the child of the two suspects, said Foster.

Since Evette Dandy refused to cooperate with officers, charges have been filed over shots being fired at her.