Beaufort County deputy involved in Bluffton shooting named; suspect assigned bond

A Beaufort County deputy has been named as the officer involved in a shooting incident on Saturday in Bluffton, and the man he fired at has been assigned bond after he was found with a loaded gun and magazine.

While patrolling Vista View apartments in Bluffton around 1:40 a.m., Cpl. Sean Atkinson saw two males sitting in a white Nissan Sentra in the parking lot, a Sheriff’s Office news release said.

When Atkinson attempted to contact the men, activated his blue lights and began to leave his patrol vehicle, the passenger door of the Nissan opened and one of the men emerged with a pistol and ran away.

The man ran toward and around the back of an apartment building and Atkinson followed. When Atkinson reached the back of the building, he found the man partially hidden behind a bush pointing his pistol at him, the release said.

“Fearing for his safety, Cpl. Atkinson fired five shots from his duty pistol at the subject,” the release said. “The subject, not struck by any of the bullets, threw his pistol to the side and surrendered.”

The man was identified as 18-year-old Davontae Grant of Bluffton. He was charged with fleeing to evade arrest, unlawful carry of a handgun and pointing and presenting a firearm.

Grant’s Glock 9mm pistol was recovered. It had one bullet in the chamber. An extended capacity magazine loaded with 29 9mm bullets was lying on the ground in proximity to the pistol, the release said.

When Atkinson walked Grant back to the parking lot, the other man Grant had been with was gone. Deputies are still trying to identify him. the release said.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was called by the Sheriff’s Office to investigate the officer-involved shooting aspect of the case. The SLED investigation is still active.

Atkinson has been employed by the Sheriff’s Office since January 2011. In addition to his patrol duties, Atkinson is a member of the department’s K-9 Unit and serves in the Air National Guard.

Grant has been additionally charged with simple possession of marijuana after deputies found marijuana on a seat of the Nissan, the release said. He was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center and is being held on a $56,702.50 bond.

At the time of the incident, Grant was out on bail for two recent arrests, both occurring in August, the release said. On Aug. 4, Grant was pulled over in Bluffton and was found in possession of a stolen pistol, the release said. He was charged with possession of a stolen pistol, unlawful carry of a pistol and possession of marijuana.

On Aug. 18, Grant was again pulled over and arrested by Bluffton police. He was charged with failure to stop for blue lights and possession of marijuana.

The Sheriff’s Office has asked the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office to request a bond revocation hearing on Grant’s two August arrests, the release said.

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Beaufort County deputy involved in Bluffton shooting named; suspect assigned bond."