No bond for 17-year-old accused of shooting at Beaufort Co. police. What to know
A 17-year-old gunman accused of shooting at Beaufort County deputies from a home he allegedly broke into early Tuesday morning is being held without bond, the clerk of court’s office said.
Andre Elijah Washington, of Beaufort, remained in custody at the county jail on charges of attempted murder, first-degree burglary, aggravated breach of peace, trespassing and three felony firearm-related offenses, inmate records show.
No injuries were reported after Washington allegedly fired at deputies from a home on Wildcat Lane just before 5 a.m. Tuesday, which led to police exchanging gunfire with him, authorities said. Washington ran from the house and was arrested later that morning after a multi-agency manhunt, which included the use of a helicopter and a team of bloodhounds, according to previous reporting.
Washington’s arrest warrants allege he crawled into the home through a window, sending one victim running from the house as they called 911. At least four other people were inside the home at the time, the warrants say.
Deputies placed on administrative leave
As is standard procedure, the deputies who fired shots during the incident were placed on administrative leave Tuesday pending an internal affairs review, according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lt. Daniel Allen. He would not name the deputies or say how many had been placed on leave.
A sheriff’s office incident report lists over 60 police units from several different agencies who responded to the scene. The department said it received on-scene assistance from the FBI, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the municipal police departments of Beaufort, Bluffton and Port Royal.
Allen would not specify how many shots were fired during police’s exchange of gunfire with Washington, referencing the active investigation by the sheriff’s office and SLED.
Manhunt leads to an arrest
Deputies responded just before 5 a.m. Tuesday to what they called a “domestic-related” incident at a home on Wildcat Lane, located off U.S. 21 (Trask Parkway) across from the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
After Washington allegedly fired at responding deputies and fled, police searching the area found a firearm that was believed to have been used in the shooting. The gun was sent for forensic analysis, according to previous reporting.
Police eventually spotted Washington in the nearby woods and “ran him straight into some other officers” who detained him, Allen said on Tuesday. Authorities said Washington was unarmed at the time of his arrest.
Washington’s arrest warrants for three firearm charges stemming from the incident, all felonies, allege he unlawfully possessed a gun while under the age of 18 and that the firearm’s serial number had been “obliterated.”
His warrant for aggravated breach of peace, a misdemeanor, referenced the other houses near the site of the shooting. Washington’s alleged gunfire “plac(ed) the public in harm’s way with no regard for their lives or safety,” the warrant says.
Although Washington is legally classified as a minor in South Carolina, state law requires any 17-year-old accused of a high-severity felony — including attempted murder — to be initially charged as an adult. These cases can be transferred to juvenile court at the solicitor’s discretion, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 4:08 PM.
