‘Senseless act’: Bluffton High football player dead, 2 injured in shooting, police say

A senior defensive lineman on Bluffton High School’s football team was killed late Friday night and two other Bluffton High students were hospitalized after a shooting near Bluffton and Hampton parkways, Bluffton police said Saturday.

Dwon (D.J.) Fields Jr., 18, died at the scene, authorities said. Kylan Simmons, 18, also a senior on the football team, was treated at a hospital and released Saturday. A third student, a 16-year-old whose name was not released, was still hospitalized Saturday afternoon.

“This is a tough day,” said Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka. “These are good kids. ... The police department is not going to sleep until they find who did this.”

“Please, students, moms and dads, family members, administrators that these kids talk to: Find out what they know, and let’s get this solved.”

What we know

Officers were dispatched to a single-vehicle accident about 11:30 p.m. Friday and discovered the vehicle had been involved in a shooting, Capt. Joe Babkiewicz with the Bluffton Police Department said.

All three teenagers were in the car, and Bluffton police said someone fired from another vehicle at the victims’ car, which sent the car veering off the road.

No suspects are in custody, Police Chief Stephenie Price said at a Saturday afternoon press conference. She said the shooting “appears to be an isolated incident,” and “public safety is not in jeopardy.” She said police had received no other reports of gunfire, no other events or any other injuries in the area.

“Crimes like this in Bluffton are rare in occurrence,” she said, calling it “a senseless act.”

Price encouraged anyone with information to call the police tip line at 843-706-4560. Officer Ryan Fazekas, who is leading the investigation, can be reached at 843-540-5724.

Early Saturday morning, eastbound lanes of Bluffton Parkway near Hampton Lake were closed from 12:15 a.m. to 3:27 a.m. as police investigated, according to a Bluffton Police Department Facebook post.

On Saturday afternoon, as police discussed the shooting, students and coaches gathered at Bluffton High School to mourn their loss.

About a dozen students and coaches milled around the football field, where, at the 50-yard line, a memorial to Fields had taken shape. A wooden cross stood in the middle, topped by a football helmet; at the base, students were leaving flowers and flameless candles. A circle of Christmas lights ringed the memorial, which was bordered by tea lights spelling out “55” — his jersey number on the football team — and “DJ.”

Sulka talked to coaches, two pizzas in her hands. She said student athletes had gathered there Saturday morning to process the loss. “It’s just not Bluffton,” she said.

“When someone hurts in this town, we all hurt.”

“If you get into this rumor mill and this social media craziness, you’re not going to get the facts,” Sulka said. “Trust our police department. Trust our sheriff. ... Trust our chaplain. Pray for these families.”

A vigil in Fields’ memory will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at the high school football field, said Candace Bruder, Beaufort County School District’s spokesperson.

Bruder also said the crisis support counseling team would be at Bluffton’s middle and high schools on Monday. “Counselors and social workers from surrounding schools will be assisting the staff at Bluffton High School as well as partners from Hope Performance Systems and Friends of Caroline Hospice,” she said.

“As the Bluffton community processes this tragedy, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families,” Chief Price said. “Our investigators are working around the clock to solve this crime. Please be mindful this is an active investigation and information may be subject to change as events come to light.”

This story was originally published March 6, 2021 at 11:33 AM.

Rachel Jones

The Island Packet

843-631-6039

Rachel Jones covers education for the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has worked for the Daily Tar Heel and Charlotte Observer. She has won awards from the South Carolina Press Association, Associated College Press and North Carolina College Media Association for feature writing and education reporting.