Dog injured by shotgun blasts, 4 other Beaufort-area shooting incidents reported in 5 days
Police received reports of five gunfire-related incidents in as many days in the Beaufort area, signs of a continuing steady trend of gun violence in communities north of the Broad River.
No residents were reported hurt, although a pitbull on St. Helena Island was severely injured by what appeared to be shotgun blasts. One of the incidents was determined to be accidental, but only one of the four remaining investigations had yielded an arrest as of Friday.
11/15: Accidental gunshot pierces wall of Beaufort apartment
A man was staying at his friend’s apartment Nov. 15 in the Views at River Bend complex in the Burton area when he saw a pistol on the kitchen counter, he told police. Thinking it was unsafe “to just leave it there,” he picked it up and inadvertently shot a round through a wall inside the unit, according to an incident report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The bullet penetrated a wall and flew into a computer server in the next room, where it reportedly stopped in its tracks. None of the apartment’s occupants were injured, including a 1-year-old child who was on the couch nearby.
After interviewing witnesses, Beaufort County deputies concluded the gunshot was accidental and the man was sober when the incident occurred, according to the police report.
11/16: Gunman arrested after shots in downtown Beaufort
Less than two hours after gunfire erupted from a moving vehicle in downtown Beaufort, city police arrested Ridgeland man Unique Stinson Ford in connection with the shots.
No injuries or property damage was reported when Stinson allegedly opened fire out of a car window around 10:40 p.m. Nov. 16 in the 900 block of Port Republic Street, which runs parallel to Bay Street near Beaufort’s waterfront park.
Lindsey Edwards, a spokesperson for the Beaufort Police Department, would not specify the number of shots fired or the circumstances of the shooting.
Stinson was released from the Beaufort County Detention Center on a personal recognizance bond the following morning, meaning he would not be required to pay bond unless he violated court conditions.
11/17: Car shot during party on St. Helena
A Beaufort resident called police to her home on Monday morning, telling deputies she was at a party on St. Helena Island’s Seaside Road the morning of Nov. 17 when she heard three gunshots outside.
The woman later found a bullet hole in her Honda Accord’s passenger window, along with damage to her front bumper and one side mirror. She told police “it almost looked as if there was a fight around her vehicle,” according to the incident report.
Deputies collected one projectile that was found “shredded apart” in the Honda’s passenger-side floorboard. The incident was not thought to have been caught on camera.
11/18: Residence struck in late-night gunfire
More than a half-dozen sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of gunfire around 11 p.m. Monday from a home on Tombee Road, which branches off Seaside Road on southwestern St. Helena.
The home was struck “several times” by gunfire and deputies collected a “plethora” of shell casings from the scene, the police report says. Family members inside the home were uninjured.
11/19: Pitbull injured by apparent shotgun blasts
Beaufort County deputies responded to a disturbance report Tuesday evening at a residence on Melody Lane, located on central St. Helena. They met with a woman whose severely injured pitbull terrier “Enzo” had been loaded into the back of an SUV.
Police noted the pitbull had wounds to its head, neck and front legs that appeared to have been caused by a buckshot from a shotgun. Enzo’s owner said the dog had been outside when the shot went off but she wasn’t sure where the round came from. Guns were “regularly” fired in the woods by her house, she told police.
Enzo was rushed to a local veternarian’s office, according to an incident report. Sheriff’s office spokesperson Staff Sgt. Robert Herlong said police did not have an update on the dog’s condition.
This story was originally published November 22, 2024 at 12:43 PM.
