Crime & Public Safety

Man accused of shooting Port Royal gas station clerk multiple times is arrested in GA

A Beaufort County man accused of shooting a Port Royal gas station clerk multiple times in a Jan. 26 armed robbery was arrested early Thursday in Georgia.

Shykeim Raykawan Wright, 25, of Beaufort, was arrested late Wednesday night by the Marietta Police Department on outstanding warrants, according to jail records. The Port Royal Police Department issued warrants for his arrest for attempted murder, two counts of armed robbery, two counts of possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He is awaiting extradition to South Carolina, according to a Facebook post by the Port Royal Police Department.

Wright is accused of shooting a Parker’s gas station clerk multiple times at the store on Ribaut Road before fleeing.

According to Capt. John Griffith, Wright took an estimated $150 from the store. During the robbery, a second person came into the store and was held at gunpoint.

The clerk who was shot was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital for treatment and has since been released, Griffith said.

Parker’s offered a $10,000 reward for an arrest in conjunction with a $1,000 award from the Port Royal Police Department.

Days later, Port Royal police said they believed Wright was a suspect in a Jan. 24 armed robbery of a Dollar General, also on Ribaut Road. According to police, the robber asked the store’s two employees for help finding baby diapers, then pulled out a handgun as he was checking out. He left with $372 in cash from the register, police said.

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.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 10:20 AM.

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Rachel Jones
The Island Packet
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.
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