Update: Coroner names Port Royal man killed in Hilton Head shooting Wednesday morning
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office has identified Roy Philip Knight, a 40-year-old from Port Royal, as the man killed in a shooting on Hilton Head’s Old Wild Horse Road early Wednesday morning.
Knight was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:07 a.m., according to Coroner David Ott. His autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow morning at the county’s autopsy suite in Port Royal.
Public records show Knight lived on Ribaut Road near the Naval Hospital Beaufort. He lived in the Beaufort area as early as 2000 but also had an address listed in Berkeley County.
Deputies received a call at 6:55 a.m. about the gunfire. The sheriff’s office advised residents and commuters to expect a heavy police presence Wednesday morning around the roadway, which connects William Hilton Pkwy and Wild Horse Road near the island’s entryway.
The crime scene was still active as of 9:50 a.m., Viens said.
Wednesday morning’s death marks the fifth homicide in Beaufort County so far this year:
- 1/1/24: Jerrieme “L.J.” Washington, 14, was struck and killed by gunfire while playing video games in his Burton home. Police believe he was not the intended target of the drive-by shooting.
- 2/14/24: Two men, William Stewart and Roshaun Middleton, were shot and killed during a dispute with a coworker in Bluffton.
- 3/1/24: One man died after a shooting on north-end Hilton Head. The victim’s name had not yet been publicly released.
This report will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 8:25 AM.
