Investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and Alcohol Law Enforcement shut down a Washington “shothouse” Thursday night, confiscating large amounts of liquor and arresting the owner on several drug charges.

The shothouse, commonly referred to as “The Barn,” was the site of an Oct. 17 stabbing that sent the victim, Taequan Mackey, to Vidant Memorial Hospital with a chest wound.

According to a spokesman for the sheriff’s office Drug Unit, investigators had been conducting surveillance and making controlled drug buys before the stabbing occurred. Investigators decided to move forward with shutting the place down when rumblings about gang retaliation for the stabbing were heard, he said.

“The last thing we wanted was another person getting killed or hurt and if there was something that we could do to shut the place down, we were going to do it,” the spokesman said.

The shothouse, located in an outbuilding at 2410 W. Fifth St., backs up to the Rosedale neighborhood. There had been numerous complaints made about alcohol and drug use going on in the residential area.

“Those are hardworking people that certainly don’t want that kind of stuff going on in their backyard,” the spokesman said.

When the Tactical Response Team entered the building Thursday night, they found the owner of the property, Phillipi Demond Gorham, 37, in the bar holding a .44 caliber revolver and wearing a bulletproof vest.

“The investigation led us to believe he was in fear of retaliation from the stabbing and that’s why he was wearing the vest and had the firearm. … The potential for a shootout was pretty high,” the spokesman said.

Gorham, however, was compliant, as were the other occupants of the illegal bar, he said.

Gorham was charged with two counts of possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, possession of a firearm by a felon and maintaining a dwelling to facilitate drug activity. He was also charged with several alcohol sale violations by ALE. Gorham was held at the Beaufort County jail under a $120,000 secured bond. Also arrested were Patricia Ann Langley, 51, charged with possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia, and Jacqueline Nadine Suber, 46, and Enique Charisse Jones, 36, both charged with possession of less than ½ ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

While gang activity is rarely heard about in local news, there are those who are thought to have gang affiliations in the area, according to law enforcement officials.

“You never want to put it past this local area from developing a gang — we’ve never had that happen, but the possibility of gang activity is there,” the spokesman said. “We haven’t seen it as organized in Beaufort County as in other areas, at this point.”