By Mike McCombs
The Island News
It took Beaufort Police investigators several months to build a case against Trevaughn Eugene Hipp, whom they suspected killed 24-year-old Jaquavious Bakari Washington after a party June 10 at a Boundary Street hotel.
Once they got there, though, things moved quickly.
Six days after warrants were obtained against him, Trevaughn Eugene Hipp, 22, of Grays Hill, turned himself into the Sheriff’s Department on Thursday morning, Oct. 12.
Hipp, 22, is charged with Murder, Discharging a Firearm into a Vehicle, and Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime.
The investigation revealed that an argument at a party Friday night, June 10, ended in the shooting death of Washington of Hardeeville.
At approximately 11:05 p.m., officers responded to a shooting incident at the Quality Inn At Town Center at 2001 Boundary Street, where a party was being held when an argument ensued between two of the attendees.
According to witnesses, the suspect threatened to shoot the victim several times. The victim got in his vehicle and left the hotel, striking a pedestrian. The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and refused medical treatment.
According to police, the suspect then started shooting at the victim’s car. Several rounds hit the vehicle, and it became stuck on an island in the parking lot. The victim got out of the vehicle and ran, the suspect followed the victim and continued to shoot at him. The victim died of multiple gunshot wounds and the suspect fled on foot.
During the investigation, Beaufort Police identified several “persons of interest” and interviewed at least one but didn’t publicly focus on Hipp until recently.
“We talked to a couple of people of interest,” said Deputy Chief Stephenie Price, spokesperson for the Beaufort Police. “There was no aha moment. There was just building probable cause for a very strong case for charging (Hipp) with murder.”
Mike McCombs is the editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
