Golf cart gunfire: Two July 4th drive-bys reported in Hilton Head’s Spanish Wells area
Noting no injuries and the lack of a clear target, Beaufort County investigators have cast aside a case involving two spurts of gunfire from a golf cart and one other moving vehicle in the Spanish Wells area over the holiday weekend.
Just before midnight on the Fourth of July, deputies were called to the area of Bryant Road, a residential byway that connects Spanish Wells Road and Muddy Creek Road on central Hilton Head Island. An anonymous homeowner told police two shootings had occurred in the area — the first around 9:30 p.m., when gunfire erupted from a moving golf cart carrying “several individuals” down the street.
Observing no property damage or injured neighbors, the man “simply ignored it” and continued celebrating with his family, according to an incident report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The second drive-by came two hours later from a “newer model” red Dodge charger, the witness said. Neither incident appeared to be targeting a specific house or person.
Deputies found 15 handgun shell casings on the road near the homeowner’s mailbox, the report says. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Sgt. Danny Allen said the suspects seemed to be “shooting just to shoot” — a common occurrence in the area — so investigators had closed the case as of Monday.
It was unclear whether the two incidents involved the same shooters, according to Allen. No property damage or injuries were reported.
