‘I grew up here’: Hilton Head shooting hits close to home for mayor
The recent shooting at Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island hit close to home for Mayor Alan Perry.
“I’ve been sick to my stomach since last night,” Perry said at a Sunday press conference hosted by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. “I grew up here. This is my home.”
At around 8:20 p.m on Saturday, Fourth of July festivities on Coligny Beach were interrupted by the sounds of gunfire erupting from the volleyball court near the public beach access point, according to Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner.
Police said the shooting stemmed from a fight that broke out between two individual groups in the area. Eight people were injured, and four have been charged.
“Thank God nobody was killed,” Perry told reporters. “That’s the fortunate thing. The unfortunate thing is that it happened in our backyard with thousands of people that we care about.”
He promised that the town council would take action on the incident, then paused for a moment, frowning.
“I can’t imagine my kids being down there,” he said.
‘One bad incident’
Perry promised that town leaders will continue to work with law enforcement to look at ways to improve safety.
“When these thugs come in from out of town, we need to push them right back out,” Perry said.
He suggested new technology could work in conjunction with law enforcement efforts. The town recently announced plans to install new cameras in the Coligny Beach areas and parking lots, and officials are looking at ways to explore artificial intelligence as a public safety tool.
The Hilton Head Island Town Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the shooting, Perry said. A date has not yet been shared with the public.
Perry urged the public not to let the recent shooting affect their perception of Hilton Head Island as a safe tourist destination.
“We can’t rest our laurels on one bad incident,” Perry said. “That’s not who we are as a community. That does not define Hilton Head Island.”
What we know about the shooting
At 8:21 p.m. on Saturday, as residents and visitors celebrated the Fourth of July, police received multiple calls of shots fired near the volleyball court on Coligny Beach, Tanner said at the press conference.
Eight people were injured, Tanner said.
Four individuals, three 17-year-olds and one 18-year-old, have been charged, according to police reports. All four reside in St. Helena Island, according to Beaufort County’s online inmate inquiry system.
Information is still being gathered about a fifth suspect, Tanner said.
The incident stemmed from a fight that broke out between two individual groups consisting of men and women between the ages of 17 and 19, Tanner said.
An argument between the groups escalated into a fistfight between one individual from each group, Tanner said. Gunshots erupted shortly after the first punch was thrown.
“Our young people are more gun-happy today than I have ever seen in my entire career in law enforcement,” Tanner said.
Tanner said police are looking into whether the incident was gang-related.
New camera technology installed around Hilton Head Island, including Flock cameras and a movable surveillance trailer, was crucial in law enforcement’s response to the shooting, Tanner said.
