Fripp Island man, 52, identified as man killed by security guard during confrontation
A 52-year-old man was shot and killed by a Fripp Island security guard during a confrontation stemming from a domestic dispute, according to authorities.
Thomas Steffner Jr., 52, of Fripp Island was killed at 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday at his residence, according to Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen.
Steffner’s autopsy occurred Thursday morning, and his death is being investigated by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.
Steffner and his wife had moved to Fripp Island only four months ago, according to a Fripp Island Club newsletter.
Around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a potential domestic dispute on Tarpon Boulevard, according to a police report obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
Details from the police call were “vague” but described “a male yelling at a female and possibly assaulting her,” the report said.
The Sheriff’s Office asked Fripp Island Security to make initial contact while deputies were on their way. Two security officers responded to the Tarpon Boulevard residence.
By the time deputies arrived, dispatchers told them that Fripp Island Security “was now requesting EMS for this incident.”
The rest of the police report describing what happened in the shooting was redacted by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office due to the SLED investigation.
“The suspect reportedly presented a firearm during the confrontation,” according to a SLED news release on Wednesday.
Maj. Bob Bromage with the Sheriff’s Office said it is routine for private security to “supplement us in the initial response” because security officers are typically close by.
The shooting is being investigated by SLED as an officer-involved shooting, even though security guards are not law enforcement officers.
Private security in private communities
Security companies and guards must be certified by SLED to operate in South Carolina.
State law requires at least eight hours of training for someone to become an armed security guard.
On private property, guards are similar to sheriff’s deputies and have the power to arrest.
Fripp Island Security, and the officer who killed Steffner, were both in good standing with SLED, said Tommy Crosby, a spokesperson for the agency.
Every officer on Fripp Island’s private security force is SLED certified, and their salaries are paid with dues from the Fripp Island Property Owner’s Association, according to John Marsh, general manager of the POA.
Marsh said they employ around 25 security officers. The guards who patrol are armed, while the guards who man Fripp Island’s gates are not, he said.
When asked if the guard who shot Steffner was still employed or placed on leave, Marsh declined to answer and referred questions to SLED.
SLED spokesperson Crosby said that decision is up to the private agency.
“Security officers involved in shooting incidents must avoid working in an armed capacity until any subsequent investigation is concluded and the officer cleared,” wrote SLED Chief Mark Keel in a 2016 memo on private security company regulation.
Beaufort County has dozens of private communities and private security firms that watch over them. With nearly 70 percent of Hilton Head’s land in gated communities, most of them have some sort of paid security.
From 2004 to 2014, security guards in South Carolina were involved in 18 shootings, four which resulted in death, according to a 2014 Post & Courier article.
