16-year-old shot on St. Helena Island

A 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg on St. Helena Island early Thursday morning.

The young man told deputies the incident was accidental and would not provide the name of the person who shot him in his initial interview, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report. He was treated on the scene by Beaufort County EMS and transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

He said a gun fell and went off by accident at an address on John Fripp Circle while he was with a group of friends, according to the report.

Two older men who gave the boy a ride and called 911 gave an account of the story that didn’t quite match the young man’s. They both told deputies that they saw a small group of people in the parking lot of Folly Road Grocery shortly before 1 a.m. and pulled over to speak with them. They recognized the young man and offered to give him a ride home. They heard two shots fired, and the young man jumped into the back seat of the car. They drove off as people scattered, they said.

The men were going to drive the boy home but ended up meeting first responders at St. Helena Elementary School, according to the report.

An investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 5:13 PM with the headline "16-year-old shot on St. Helena Island."