By Mike McCombs
The Island News
A 25-year-old St. Helena man was shot in his vehicle last week while driving on Ribaut Road near the intersection of the jurisdictions of the City of Beaufort and the Town of Port Royal.
At approximately 8:13 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 23, the Beaufort County Communications Center received calls regarding shots fired and a possible gunshot victim from two different locations.
“A person was shot while he was driving his vehicle,” Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens said. “The city originally put out a Nixle alert that said they were responding to an accident and a shooting.”
Beaufort Police Department was dispatched to 1294 Ribaut Road for a man who had been shot while the Port Royal Police Department was dispatched to Johnny Morrall Circle for a call about a person who may have been shot in a vehicle.
When the Beaufort Police Department arrived at the Ribaut Road location, they found a man in his vehicle who had sustained injuries from gunfire. He was transported to the Medical University of South Carolina.
Port Royal Police located evidence of gunfire in the road on Johnny Morrall Circle. There were no victims located at that scene.
According to investigators, it appears the man was shot on Johnny Morrall Circle before or as he was turning onto Ribaut Road, where he then crossed the center line and drove his car through oncoming traffic and off the roadway and impacted a business sign.
Because the incident may have crossed jurisdictional boundaries between the municipalities of Beaufort and Port Royal, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office was asked to take over the investigation.
“It’s just cleaner for us to take over the investigation,” Viens said. “We are working alongside Beaufort and Port Royal but we are the lead agency.”
According to Viens, the victim has been released from the hospital.
“We are still working to identify who the person responsible is,” Viens said.
Anyone who may have information about these events is encouraged to contact SSgt. Duncan at 843-255-3418 or Crimestoppers of the Low County at 843-554-1111.
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
