HHI resident injured in shooting after rash of north-island car break-ins early Saturday
A 55-year-old man from north-end Hilton Head is in the hospital after being shot by an unidentified man in his yard early Saturday morning. Investigators from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office believe the shooting may be connected to a spate of car break-ins in the same neighborhood.
Deputies responded just before 4 a.m. Saturday to a home on Wright Place, finding a 55-year-old resident with two gunshot wounds, according to department spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens. He was treated by first responders and taken to a Savannah-area hospital.
The homeowner told police he heard a noise outside, opening the door to find two subjects who had been “rummaging through” cars in his front yard. One of those people shot the man before the pair ran away, according to a Saturday afternoon alert from the Sheriff’s Office.
Police later learned of “at least five” suspects pulling on car doors near Wright Place just before the shooting. Several vehicle break-ins were reported in the area later Saturday morning.
Only two people were seen at the victim’s house during the shooting but the group of five were most likely “acting in concert” in the neighborhood, according to Viens.
The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone living in north-end Hilton Head with surveillance systems to check their cameras’ footage from the hours before and after 4 a.m. Saturday. Investigators are looking for “any suspicious people” walking or pulling on car doors, as well as any vehicles driving in a reckless manner just after the shooting.
Anyone with information or suspicious footage is encouraged to call Beaufort County’s non-emergency dispatch at 843-524-2777.
This story was originally published January 27, 2024 at 1:49 PM.
