By Tony Kukulich
The Island News
An eighth suspect in the July 4 shooting on Hilton Head Island’s popular Coligny Beach has been arrested and charged.
Matthew McPherson, a 19-year-old resident of St. Helena Island was taken into custody on Tuesday, Nov. 10. According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, McPherson was arrested in Jasper County and subsequently transferred to the Beaufort County Detention Center.
McPherson was indicted by a Grand Jury on a laundry list of charges, including possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, three counts of assault and battery second degree, aggravated breach of the peace and accessory after the fact.
The shooting, which erupted around 8:20 p.m., on July 4, resulted in eight injuries, but no fatalities. Suspects fled the scene in the wake of the shooting.
Seven other suspects were indicted by the Beaufort County Grand Jury on July 16 on a variety of charges related to the incident. Attempted murder was not among the charges filed.
“We did not present indictments for attempted murder because that statute, as it is currently written, only vindicates the harm done to intended targets,” said 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone during a July 17 press conference. “In this case that applies only to other shooters and not the innocent bystanders who were shot in the field of fire. We had the choice of calling the shooters victims or defendants. We chose defendants.”
Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner previously described the incident as a fist fight between two groups on the beach that escalated into an exchange of gunfire. During the July 17 press conference, Tanner attributed the violence to juvenile ego.
“It was a look. One person got a look from another that he didn’t like. He felt it disrespected him. From there it turned into a fist fight. From the fist fight, it turned into gunplay,” Tanner explained.
Most of the incident took place in clear view of a sheriff’s office security camera, which captured video that Tanner called amazing. Additionally, Flock cameras owned by the town of Hilton Head helped law enforcement identify and locate several suspects within minutes of the shooting.
At 9:07 p.m., deputies performed a traffic stop on the Charles E. Fraser Bridge of a vehicle believed to have been involved in the shooting. Six occupants were taken into custody, and four were eventually charged.
Tanner acknowledged that the use of Flock cameras has come under fire, but touted their value in the investigation of the July 4 incident.
“The system that we used is owned by the town. It helped us that night. It helped us identify the vehicle and make a traffic stop in minutes,” Tanner said.
The shooting reignited a long-standing debate in Hilton Head’s Town Hall. Since its incorporation, the town has contracted with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement. Following the shooting, calls for the town to establish its own municipal police department were once again made.
According to county records, McPherson remains confined at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
Others previously charged in the shooting include:
Jayden Hawes
• Two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature
• Breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature
• Four counts of second-degree assault and battery
• Possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime
Quazier Davis (17 at the time of the shooting)
• Two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature
• Four counts of second-degree assault and battery
• Breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature
• Possession of a firearm under age 18
• Possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime
Marcello Royal (17 at the time of the shooting)
• Two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature
• Four counts of second-degree assault and battery
• Breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature
• Possession of a firearm under age 18
• Possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime
Andre Green
• Two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature
• Breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature
• Four counts of second-degree assault and battery
• Possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime
Jacob Johnson
• Two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature
• Breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature
• Four counts of second-degree assault and battery
• Possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime
Christopher Capers
• Accessory after the fact
Amarion Riley
• Possession of a machine gun
• Breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Sgt. Aaron at 843-255-3436. Those wishing to remain anonymous can submit tips through Crime Stoppers of Beaufort County using the P3 Tips app, online at tipsbft.com, or by calling 844-TIPS-BFT.
Reach Tony Kukulich at 854-257-8125 or at tkukulich@theislandnews.com.