Charleston gunman had history of violence

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The man who police say killed a Charleston chef inside a restaurant filled with tourists had been convicted of violent crimes at least twice since the 1980s and struggled with mental illness, according to legal records.

Thomas Demetrius Burns, 53, remained hospitalized Friday, the day after he was shot by police to end a hostage standoff that followed the slaying at Virginia’s restaurant on a busy street of shops and upscale eateries in downtown Charleston.

Authorities released his name Friday. Charleston police say Burns marched into the restaurant with a gun at lunchtime Thursday and killed Virginia’s 37-year-old executive chef, Shane Whiddon. Authorities and one of the restaurant’s owners have said the gunman had been fired from his job as a dishwasher at the restaurant.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenberg said Thursday the gunman appeared to have a history of mental illness. A court document from April 2010 appears to confirm that. Burns was facing drug charges at the time and a Circuit Court judge ordered a mental evaluation.

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division records showed Burns with a criminal history spanning more than three decades. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted in 1983 of armed robbery and assault and battery with intent to kill in 1983.