10 days after July 4 Coligny Beach shooting in Hilton Head, here’s what we know
Gunfire on a crowded Coligny Beach injured eight people during Fourth of July festivities on Hilton Head Island, sending crowds running and reigniting long-simmering debates over policing and youth violence.
One week later, six people have been charged, one weapon has been identified as an illegally converted machine gun and town leaders are weighing curfews, cameras and even a potential Hilton Head police force.
Here are key takeaways:
- Eight people were injured when gunfire erupted near the public volleyball court at Coligny Beach around 8:21 p.m. on July 4, after a dispute between two groups escalated into a fistfight followed by shots.
- Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said the incident was not a mass shooting, arguing that one person was the intended target while the seven other victims were bystanders on the beach.
- One of four firearms recovered at the scene had been illegally modified with a machine gun conversion device, and the sheriff’s office has 30 to 35 similar switch-possession cases in process.
- Amarion Jameer Riley, 22, of Ridgeland became the sixth person charged in the case, facing counts of unlawful possession of a machine gun and breach of peace after being identified as a suspect while also among the injured. Riley received a $250,000 bond and was released July 10 after posting with the help of a bond company.
- Jacob Malik Johnson, 22, of Beaufort was arrested as the fifth suspect and charged with breach of peace, aggravated in nature, joining four St. Helena Island suspects ages 17 to 18. Johnson posted his $250,000 bond on July 13 through bond company Bad Boyz Bail Bonds and was released from the Beaufort County Detention Center on the same day.
- Jayden Hawes, 18, Quazeir Davis, 17, and Marcello Royal, 17, remain in custody on charges of attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and breach of peace of an aggravated nature. Davis and Royal also face charges related to the unlawful sale, transfer or possession of a firearm.
- Christopher Capers, 17, of St. Helena Island, was arrested Sunday, July 5 for accessory after the fact and released on bond the following day.
- AI-powered Verkada cameras captured the entire shooting on video and helped deputies identify a suspect vehicle, leading to a traffic stop at 9:07 p.m. on the Cross Island Parkway and 13 initial criminal charges.
- Law enforcement is asking the town to enact an 8 p.m. juvenile curfew, with Town Manager Marc Orlando committing to draft an ordinance for council review within 30 days.
- The Town Council is re-examining whether to create its own police force after relying on the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office since 1983, weighing four options that include a hybrid code enforcement model.
- St. Helena Island community leaders called the repeated bloodshed a crisis demanding immediate, unified action, noting four of the charged suspects come from the same island where a mass shooting killed four at Willie’s Bar and Grill in October.
- The extra police tax Hilton Head property owners pay to Beaufort County — which generates $7 million annually — is back under scrutiny after the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the fee legal last month, ending a six-year court battle.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
Laura Finaldi
The Island Packet