Bluffton father-son duo charged in ‘targeted’ daylight shooting on Simmonsville Rd home
Less than a month after the arrest of his son, 40-year-old Bluffton man Gregory Griffin turned himself in Friday in connection with a Dec. 13 shooting on an occupied home. The non-fatal gunfire appears to have been a flashpoint in a feud between families.
Griffin was charged with six counts of attempted murder and three other gun-related offenses — the same set of charges brought against his son, 20-year-old Gregory Kimani Griffin, who was arrested in the hours following the incident.
Six people were inside the Simmonsville Road residence the morning of Dec. 13 when a spray of gunfire struck the home and an SUV parked outside. Investigators believe the pair of shooters parked in front of the house and stepped out of the car before opening fire, according to Bluffton Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Bonifacio Perez. The father and son likely knew the home’s occupants, none of whom were injured.
Both men then fled to their family’s home on Haigler Blvd. — located near Cahill’s Market and Chicken Kitchen — where police later detained several people, including the two alleged shooters. Officers seized 14 weapons at the home, as well as two firearms believed to have been used in the shooting.
At the time, investigators only had enough evidence to arrest the son, according to Perez, but would later obtain warrants for the second suspect. The Griffins are believed to be the only two suspects in the shooting.
Another man, Asante Marquell Mervin, 22, of Hilton Head Island, was arrested at the scene of the shooting on an outstanding warrant for possession of a stolen pistol, but was not involved in the shooting, Perez said.
The father and son were both in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center as of Tuesday afternoon, jail records show. Bond information was not immediately available.
This story was originally published January 9, 2024 at 4:19 PM.
