Barely two weeks into the New Year, Anderson police are investigating their first homicide in the city.

A 23-year-old Anderson man died in a shooting late Saturday near the east side of downtown Anderson, police said.

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Just before midnight, police were called to the 1100 block of Home Avenue after neighbors reported hearing what they thought were gunshots, according to a news release from Anderson police spokesman Mitch Carroll.

Responding officers found a man identified Sunday as Rodney R. Clay with at least one gunshot wound; emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.


Police are continuing to investigate the incident and were canvassing the neighborhood for potential witnesses, the release said. A motive for the shooting was not immediately clear.


The death was the first homicide of 2009, Carroll said, adding that a total of three were recorded in Anderson last year.


Anyone with information is asked to call the Anderson Police Department at (765) 648-6775 or (765) 648-6742.