How are AI-powered cameras helping with Hilton Head shooting investigation?
New camera technology installed around Hilton Head Island was crucial in the law enforcement response to Saturday night’s shooting near Coligny Beach on Hilton Head Island, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said.
At a press conference the day after the shooting, Tanner said artificial intelligence-powered cameras were instrumental in helping deputies identify and locate suspects. Cameras were used to determine and locate the suspects’ vehicle, and make a successful traffic stop.
The video from the camera will continue to be used as the sheriff’s office investigates the incident, Tanner said.
“I can tell you that the video we got from that camera is absolutely outstanding,” he said. “We have the entire incident on video, and the quality of that video is remarkable. And of course we’ll be using that video as we progress through the investigation with AI capabilities to identify everyone we need to, based on the investigation.”
But what are these cameras, what do they do and how did the sheriff’s office use them to help in the July 4 shooting?
What are AI-powered cameras?
The cameras stationed at Coligny Beach use AI technology, Tanner said. They’re manufactured by AI-surveillance company Verkada, according to previous Island Packet reporting. Deputies can search for faces, objects and vehicles using the cameras’ AI software.
The cameras can pan 360 degrees, tilt 220 degrees and zoom up to 32x, according to Verkada’s product listings. They offer a “sentry mode,” which allows the cameras to automatically focus on people in the camera’s view when enabled. They also have facial recognition capability, BCSO Captain Brian Baird previously told the Island Packet
The footage is saved for only a short period of time, Tanner said. It can be stored for up to 30 days, Baird said. Coligny Beach and Plaza are public spaces and have no right to privacy, according to Baird.
The cameras are mounted on a trailer and can be moved to different locations, according to previous reporting. The cameras used in the Coligny shooting investigation were placed in view of the public, and the shooting occurred in full view of the cameras, Tanner said.
Why at Coligny?
BCSO has owned the cameras for three years, according to previous reporting. The cameras were moved to Coligny Beach because it’s a “hot spot” and the large crowds that gather there on weekends, Tanner said. Recent reports of gunfire in the area prompted BCSO to move the cameras there, according to previous reporting.
Tanner said the cameras’ presence is meant to deter illegal activity. If people know cameras are present, it will hopefully stop them from committing crimes there, he said.
On Saturday, BCSO uploaded information gathered from witnesses, including potential vehicles, to the town of Hilton Head’s Flock camera system, Tanner said. The cameras picked up a suspect vehicle on Pope Avenue at 9:02 p.m., and at 9:07 p.m., deputies made a traffic stop on the Cross Island Parkway, almost in the center of the Frazier bridge.
All six occupants of the vehicle were detained and brought to the Hilton Head substation, resulting in 13 criminal charges made against four people, Tanner said.
Jayden Hawes, 18, Quazeir Davis, 17, and Marcello Royal, 17, were charged with attempted murder, aggravated breach of peace and charges relating to the possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Davis and Royal were also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.
Christopher Capers, 17, was charged with accessory after the fact.
What other cameras are planned?
The BCSO recommends the Coligny Plaza and Beach area have more lighting, fewer hidden areas and more cameras to deter crime, Tanner said. And the Town of Hilton Head is installing more cameras this month.
The town began upgrades to camera infrastructure in July, according to a press release. Four cameras will be added to the Coligny Beach area, and additional cameras are coming to the Coligny Beach parking lot and Coligny Circle.
The cameras are manufactured by Digital Watchdog, Town of Hilton Head Communications and Marketing Director Kelly Spinella previously told the Island Packet. Digital Watchdog’s cameras come with or without AI software, or it can be purchased later for any Digital Watchdog camera. Its AI technology can identify people, objects and vehicles.
According to Spinella, the town stores camera footage for 14 days, and only people with “official purposes” can access and analyze the footage. Town Public Safety Director, Bob Bromage, said the cameras’ facial recognition capabilities are “being explored.”
Bluffton and Beaufort police departments and the Town of Hilton Head have invested in license plate reading cameras manufactured by Flock Safety, according to previous reporting. At least 70 of these cameras were installed in Beaufort County as of February 2026.