A former Fairhaven man was shot dead this week during an argument at a McDonald's drive-up in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Ross C. Vigeant, 38, a 1988 graduate of Fairhaven High School who moved to South Carolina six years ago with his wife and children, died Wednesday night after he was shot once in the chest.
Myrtle Beach police arrested Matthew S. Miller, 30, of Myrtle Beach and charged him with voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.
According to a police report, Vigeant and Miller were waiting in the McDonald's drive-up lane when Miller began yelling at Vigeant to move his vehicle.
Police said Vigeant pulled out of the drive-through lane, parked his car and approached Miller's vehicle. During the ensuing argument, Vigeant punched the suspect, police said.
Several witnesses told police they heard a "pop" and then saw Miller speeding away from the parking lot. Meanwhile, Vigeant staggered back to his vehicle and collapsed.
Emergency personnel arrived and found Vigeant lying unresponsive in the parking lot. He later was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Police apprehended Miller at his apartment after a witness gave investigators a description of the suspect's vehicle. Officers seized the car and a 9-mm pistol, according to a police report.
Miller's parents told the Myrtle Beach Sun News that the suspect had a concealed-weapons permit and might have feared for his life when Vigeant punched him. They said he suffered serious injuries when he was assaulted by six people in 2006.
Vigeant lived in Summerville, S.C., with his wife, Claudia, a teaching assistant at a local elementary school, and their three children, ages 8 to 14.
Relatives said Vigeant had gone to Myrtle Beach early Wednesday for a two-day golfing trip with a friend. He was supposed to return home Thursday afternoon.
"He just wanted to have a few beach days and golf," said Elisabeth Williamson, a friend who spoke on behalf of the Vigeant family.
Williamson said Vigeant was a devoted family man who married Claudia 15 years ago after the couple met in high school.
"They were basically soul mates," Williamson said, adding that Vigeant had a close relationship with his two young daughters and son.
"He loved doing things with his children."
When not at work, Williamson said, Vigeant often attended his children's sporting events and enjoyed working around the house.
"He loved fixing things," Williamson said.
"He also loved singing and entertaining. He just had a beautiful voice. A song would come on the radio and he would just burst out singing if he was at a party or something."
Vigeant was born in New Bedford and lived in Fairhaven for many years.
He and his family left Massachusetts in 2003 after he accepted a roofing job in Charleston, S.C.
Vigeant most recently was a superintendent for Fort Roofing in Charleston.
The funeral is scheduled for Monday at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Summerville. He is survived by several relatives in Massachusetts and across the country
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