Police seek witnesses to Aug. 7 shooting in Bluffton while judge denies bond for suspect
Police are searching for possible witnesses to an Aug. 7 shooting on New Riverside Drive in Bluffton that injured at least three adults and burned the arm of a 5-year-old girl.
The possible witnesses, who police believe are locals, were driving an older model black truck in the area when the shooting broke out, said Sgt. Bonifacio Perez, a spokesperson for the Bluffton Police Department.
Memphis Daniels, 20, of Bluffton was charged with five counts of attempted murder, shooting into a vehicle, shooting within town limits and possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime. Daniels, who had his 5-year-old niece in the backseat of the car at the time of the shooting, was also charged with unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person.
Daniels’ cousin who was also in the car, Jh’Leel Hoover, 19, of Bluffton, was charged with five counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon in the commission of a violent crime.
Police were called around 2:30 p.m. to New Riverside Drive after getting calls about shots fired. Residents at the Landings, a gated community nearby, reported hearing gunshots while they were in the pool, which is located by the road. Police accused Daniels and Hoover of shooting at another car that was driving down the street while Daniels’ 5-year-old niece was in the backseat.
Three of the five people who were in the other car later went to a local medical center to be treated, according to previous reporting by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. The little girl was not shot but was scorched either by a bullet that went by her or a shell casing fired from inside the car that landed on her, prosecutors said during a bond hearing last Thursday for the two men.
“We have witnesses that say one car fired first; we have witnesses in that car that say the other car fired first,” 14th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Sean Thornton said. “Based on my review so far, both cars had bullet holes in them, a lot of bullet holes.”
Both Daniels and Hoover were represented at the hearing by Anthony Dore, a personal injury and criminal defense attorney.
“He [Daniels] has no prior record whatsoever, as you heard,” Dore said during the bond hearing. “The state has set up some discovery initially, judge, and I can tell you, there are different accounts of who fired first, where the bullets were coming from. ... There were individuals in the other car who said they didn’t shoot at all.”
The investigation is ongoing and police are still working to determine which car shot first, Perez said. As of Tuesday, police had not charged anyone from the other car in connection to the shooting.
Dore said Daniels is a May River High School graduate who is in the U.S. Navy and was home for the weekend at the time of the shooting. If he were let out on bond, Dore said, his client would be taken back by the Navy to Virginia where he had been stationed for at least a year.
Daniels “is not involved in any gang activity whatsoever” and cooperated with police during the investigation, Dore said.
“Obviously, he wouldn’t go and get involved in a shootout with his niece in the car,” Dore said. “This is not something he anticipated happening.”
Thornton had doubts over the men’s intentions and questioned why they had weapons in the car while they were with the child.
“For somebody who wasn’t looking for it, he sure was ready,” Thornton said.
Ultimately, Judge Carmen Mullen denied bond for Daniels until she receives written confirmation from Daniels’ supervisors with the Navy that they will “be responsible for him and responsible for returning him.”
Mullen took Hoover’s bond “under advisement” and said she would consider allowing him out if he had somewhere out of the Lowcountry to stay where he could “stay out of trouble.”
Dore and Thornton disagreed whether Hoover, who lives in Allendale County with his grandmother, actually fired a gun from the passenger seat of the car.
“I’m just concerned about two cars in Bluffton shooting each other up,” Mullen said. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
Hoover is allegedly the person who was mistaken for E.J. Graham in the 2021 shooting that killed Bluffton High School football player, Dwon “DJ” Fields Jr., Thornton said.
“If he’s the one that was mistaken for Mr. Graham in the other car that resulted in Mr. Fields being shot, there’s some involvement going on and there’s some issues between your client and another party,” Mullen said. “So, there’s a problem.”
As of Tuesday, both Hoover and Daniels were in custody at the detention center in Beaufort.
Anyone with information regarding this incident may call the Bluffton Police Department at 843-706-4560 or Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-554-1111 to leave an anonymous tip.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy we did this story:
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers are making an effort to update stories we’ve published where criminal charges were filed. Criminal charges mean law enforcement had probable cause to arrest someone, but a court decides on a person’s guilt and conviction. If our newspaper has written about a crime where charges were brought, we want to use public records to show what happened in that case. If you think a crime story featuring you or someone you know needs updating, email Sofia Sanchez at ssanchez@islandpacket.com or newsroom@islandpacket.com.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 4:50 AM.
