Was the Coligny Beach incident a mass shooting? Why the sheriff says no

At a July 5 press conference following gunfire that injured eight on Coligny Beach on the Fourth of July, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said the incident was “not a mass shooting.”

“This is not a mass shooting. This is not a mass shooting,” Tanner said after a reporter started to ask a question drawing a comparison to the October 2025 mass shooting at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island that killed four people.

Later, when asked by another reporter why the shooting at Coligny Beach was not considered a mass shooting, Tanner said “well it depends on who the intended target is.

“We know that one of our bad guys was shot. The other seven, just on the beach,” he said. Tanner did not answer follow-up questions from The Island Packet by the time of publication.

There is no widely accepted definition of mass shootings, with different law enforcement and government entities holding their own classifications. The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines and tracks “active shooter incidents” as events where one or more individuals are “actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.”

The FBI does not have a set number of casualties to define a mass shooting, but the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act 2012 defines a “mass killing” as three or more killings in an incident.

Premeditation, motivation and criminal intent

The July 4 shooting at Coligny Beach happened after two groups of people of varying ages and genders broke into a dispute that escalated into a fist fight between one person from each group. Gunshots erupted shortly after the first punches were thrown, Tanner said.

Matt Osborne, a former CIA Officer and United States Concealed Carry Association instructor, agreed with the Sheriff, pointing to the difference of intent in the definitions. Osborne worked for 12 years across multiple presidential administrations regarding topics of anti-terrorism, organized crime, drugs and human trafficking.

He said his experience working alongside the FBI often looked at premeditation, motivation and criminal intent when determining if something is a mass shooting.

“What it is is yet another type of random act of violence, or violence initially intended to be between two individuals or two groups,” Osborne said. “But look how many people were involved, and unfortunately some people were wounded.”

Shootings like the one that happened at Coligny Beach are random, Osborne said.

“I would never say ‘don’t go to these places, don’t have fun, don’t enjoy with your family,’ but what I would say is make sure that you’re always thinking of your safety first,” Osborne said.

“​​Each of us have to think, ‘How am I going to protect myself until law enforcement comes? It looks like it worked in this situation, but people can never let their guard down.”

Stay SAFE in dangerous situations

Osborne said the USCCA teaches the S.A.F.E. acronym for these dangerous situations. It stands for, see the danger, assess the threat, find or flee to a safe place, and exhibit emotional control.

“This could be anywhere from saying, ‘hey, we’re going to set this point as a reunion point, if something happens, or if we get separated, you know, keep your cell phones charged,’ be ready in case there are issues.” Osborne said.

In the digital age, Osborne said it’s important to not get closer to the incident trying to film the violence or danger.

This is the second major gun violence incident in the Beaufort County in under a year. Four people were killed at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island in October 2025; that incident was considered a mass shooting.