Deputies have charged one St. Helena man in a shooting outside a home last month that killed another.
Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputies charged 31-year-old Stephan Polite on Monday with murder and possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime, according to a press release from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to calls about shots fired outside of a St. Helena home during a party around 11 p.m., according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Bob Bromage. There, they found Anthony Rivers Jr., 30, suffering from gunshot wounds.
Rivers was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital and, according to police, later died from his injuries.
Polite was found on Monday afternoon at a different home on St. Helena by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, Bromage said, and was taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center to wait for a bond hearing.
When we publish mugshots
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:
In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested
In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety
In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims
Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that don’t meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot.
Sofia Sanchez is a breaking news reporter at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. She reports on crime and developing stories in Beaufort and its surrounding areas. Sofia is a Cuban-American reporter from Florida and graduated from Florida International University in 2020.
