Beaufort man shot to death, 1 injured in Tuesday night clash at Boundary Street motel
A fight and a round of gunshots inside a Boundary Street motel room late Tuesday night claimed the life of 39-year-old Beaufort resident Daniel Richard Walls and hospitalized one other. City police say four people were detained at the scene, but no suspects had been identified or listed in public jail logs as of Thursday morning.
Officers responded to multiple 911 calls around 11:53 p.m. Tuesday in the area of the Oasis Inn, located at 2249 Boundary Street about half a mile from the Beaufort County government campus. They found two gunshot victims inside: One was taken to the hospital with a single entry wound, while Walls succumbed to his two gunshot wounds as police attempted life-saving measures at the scene.
Walls was pronounced dead at 12:11 a.m. Wednesday, according to Beaufort County deputy coroner Margaret Bowyer. An autopsy would be done Friday at the coroner’s Port Royal facilities, she said.
Beaufort police say “multiple individuals” were involved in a physical altercation inside the hotel room when one brandished a weapon and opened fire. Investigators found a weapon after detaining the four subjects. Department spokesperson Master Sgt. Lori Reeves would not specify the type of weapon or whether it was the firearm used in the fatal shooting.
Reeves said the shooter did not flee the scene following the gunfire, but it was unclear as of Thursday morning whether the suspect had been captured. A call log from the Beaufort Police Department refers to the shooter as a “known suspect.”
The spokeswoman declined to provide additional information, including how many people were inside the motel room at the time of the incident and how many shots were fired in total. An update on the hospitalized victim was not immediately available.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact investigator Jayne at 843-322-7972 or the Beaufort Police Department’s anonymous tip line at 843-322-7938, referencing case no. 24B23073.
This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 10:43 AM.
