By Delayna Earley
The Island News
What started as a fun evening with kids and neighbors celebrating Halloween turned into a true-life terrifying experience for many in the community of Shadow Moss on Tuesday night.
Just before 9 p.m., several gunshots rang out, sending trick-or-treaters and their families in the area of Saluda Way and Chauga Drive running for cover.
According to the report published by Port Royal Police Department (PRPD), police were dispatched to the area after they received an anonymous 9-1-1 call reporting shots fired.
PRPD spokesperson Capt. John Griffith reiterated that only one anonymous call was made regarding the incident.
The report goes on to say that police recovered small caliber shell casings at the scene and there was no property damage.
The report has labeled the incident as a Town Ordinance Violation, which is standard practice as no one was injured and there was not any damage immediately known to police, according to Griffith.
Residents of Shadow Moss that witnessed the event say that things happened differently.
There were at least two phone calls to the 9-1-1 dispatch regarding the event, one of which was made by newly elected Port Royal Town Council member Jorge Guerrero, who owns a home near where the incident happened.
He said that he was at a nearby neighbor’s home when the shots were fired.
“I ended up coming to the area because my wife was at home,” Guerrero said. “It happened like 50 feet from my house.”
Guerrero declined to elaborate on what he witnessed that night because he said that he would prefer to wait until the official police report is completed before making a public statement.
Many residents of Shadow Moss have reached out to The Island News to express their anger regarding the response of the PRPD on Halloween night.
One resident said that more than 40 people were sheltering in place following the alleged gunfire.
They alleged that the PRPD arrived at the scene without lights or sirens and, at first, tried to tell residents that no guns were fired and the sounds that they heard were fireworks.
Many of the residents had video recorded of the incident on their home security systems and in one of the videos submitted to The Island News you can see what appears to be a gun blast following more rapid gunfire that caused many passersby to go running for cover.
Griffith said that the investigation is ongoing.
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Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
