Crime & Public Safety

Hilton Head mother, son charged with attempted murder after gas station shootout

A mother and son from Hilton Head turned themselves in Tuesday for allegedly participating in a shootout last Thursday at a Hardeeville Circle K convenience store.

Megan Suzanne Vandervliet, 45, and her son Trevor Guy Vandervliet, 20, are each charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Both were denied bond by a Jasper County magistrate on Tuesday and are being held at the Jasper County Detention Center.

According to a Facebook post from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting took place at the D. Mark Cummings Circle K around 1 p.m. March 3.

“Through investigation, officers learned the shooting stemmed from an argument at the gas pumps between two male subjects,” the post read. “No victims or witnesses sustained any injuries during the shooting. All of the individuals involved were residents of Beaufort County.”

Chief Deputy Jeff Crosby with Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that “from what we understand, it was an ongoing dispute between those individuals in Beaufort County.”

He added that there are no additional suspects in the incident.

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.

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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