Horry County man pulls gun on group playing football, threatens to ‘blow their brains out,’ police say

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — An Horry County man is facing assault and weapons charges after telling a group of people playing football on their lawn he was going to “blow their brains out,” according to police records obtained by News13.

Jeffrey Anthony Rotunno, 71, was charged with first-degree assault and battery and three counts of pointing and presenting a firearm at a person. He was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center Friday evening and released Saturday on a $32,500 bond.

Horry County police responded to Sunny Pond Lane in the Aynor area at about 7 p.m. on Friday, according to an incident report. Officers spoke with two people who said they were playing football in their yard with another person when Rotunno came to the fenceline in his backyard, said he was going to “blow their brains out” and pointed a 9 mm handgun at the three.

One of the victims said they had a conversation with Rotunno earlier about the spraying of weed killer onto their side of the lawn but that it was “cordial,” the report said. Arrest warrants show Rotunno admitted after his arrest to pulling the gun out and making the statement and that he was sorry.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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