Incident allegedly occurred at Green Pond Community Center on Election Day
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
A reported confrontation at a Colleton County polling location on Election Day has prompted a law enforcement complaint after Democratic House District 121 candidate Shannon DeLoach alleged that incumbent Rep. Michael Rivers pointed a handgun at DeLoach’s uncle, Oliver Francis, during an encounter outside the Green Pond Community Center.
The incident allegedly occurred Tuesday, June 9, at the polling place on Ivenia Brown Road in Green Pond while voters were casting ballots.
According to DeLoach, the encounter began when he approached Rivers in the parking lot and attempted to speak with him.
DeLoach told The Island News that he shook Rivers’ hand and attempted a cordial conversation before Rivers referenced missing campaign signs.
“As he was leaving, I walked over to him and he got out of his vehicle. I shook his hand and patted him on the back,” DeLoach said. “I just wanted to let him know, however things go, I’ll give you a call tonight.”
DeLoach said Rivers then asked him, “When it’s all said and done, how much you going to sell my signs back to me for?” DeLoach said he attempted to continue the conversation before Rivers got back into his vehicle and prepared to leave.
Francis, who had been assisting with DeLoach’s campaign throughout the election season, then approached Rivers’ vehicle.
According to DeLoach, Rivers stopped near the exit of the parking lot before allegedly retrieving a handgun.
“As he was rolling near the end of the driveway, he stopped,” DeLoach said. “That’s when he reached down. He pulled up the pistol. He leaned over to my uncle, pointed it, and then put it in the air.”
DeLoach said Rivers then drove away from the polling place.
Francis provided a similar account during a phone interview with The Island News Tuesday evening.
“I said leave my nephew alone. Stop lying on my nephew,” Francis said. “And he reached down and pulled out the gun and turned and pointed at me and he put it up in the air and he pulled off.”
DeLoach said he wanted to correct misinformation that circulated on social media Tuesday afternoon incorrectly stated that Rivers had pointed the firearm at both DeLoach and Francis.
“It wasn’t me that he pulled the gun on. It was my uncle,” DeLoach said.
DeLoach said he felt it was important to correct the record as quickly as possible despite the seriousness of the allegation.
“I was there. I witnessed it. But it wasn’t me that he pointed the gun at,” DeLoach said. “It was my uncle.”
DeLoach said the campaign has become increasingly contentious in recent weeks, particularly as debates surrounding conservation, development and local issues drew strong reactions from supporters on both sides.
When asked how heated the race had become, DeLoach responded, “Everything.” He accused Rivers of repeatedly making false claims about his campaign and his positions on local issues.
Throughout the campaign, DeLoach and Rivers found themselves at the center of debates over development, conservation and the future of Gullah-Geechee communities in portions of Beaufort and Colleton counties. Supporters on both sides frequently clashed online and at public meetings as the primary drew closer.
DeLoach said he believed much of the tension stemmed from misinformation about his positions and campaign supporters.
Francis said he believes DeLoach focused his campaign on issues affecting residents rather than personal attacks.
“We played the high road,” Francis said. “All my nephew did was talk about the issue, about what he wants to do when he gets elected to 121 to make the district and the people’s situation better.”
DeLoach said he has tried throughout the campaign to remain focused on serving the district rather than engaging in personal disputes.
“I just try to remain cordial. I’m a non-confrontational type person,” DeLoach said. “This is not what it should be about. You can’t take these things personal. I’m not running against him. I’m running for the seat.”
Following the incident, Francis contacted the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office. DeLoach said deputies responded and took a report. Photographs provided to The Island News show a responding deputy’s business card with a case number written on it.
Francis said he was frustrated by what he described as the initial response from law enforcement after reporting the incident.
According to Francis, the responding deputy questioned him about what had occurred and then suggested Rivers’ alleged actions were legal.
“The deputy came out … I said, ‘The guy pointed at me.’ He said, ‘You sure?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘He can do that,'” Francis told The Island News.
Francis said the deputy ultimately took a report and provided him with a case number. However, both Francis and DeLoach said they later questioned whether the information they were given was accurate.
After speaking with Francis and DeLoach, The Island News sought clarification regarding South Carolina law. State law makes it unlawful to point and present a firearm at another person, whether the firearm is loaded or unloaded, except in limited circumstances such as lawful self-defense.
While South Carolina law prohibits handguns inside polling places, the alleged incident described by DeLoach and Francis occurred outside the building in the parking lot of the Green Pond polling location.
DeLoach said he intends to continue following up with law enforcement regarding the complaint and the information initially provided to his uncle.
In an email response to The Island News Tuesday evening, Colleton County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Lt. Laura Rutland said she was out of town but gathering information about the incident.
“I know that any incidents that are reported at polling locations would be deferred to the SC Law Enforcement Division for investigation,” Rutland wrote. “Any inquiries of such incidents will be deferred to the SLED PIO and additional information will be released when appropriate.”
On Wednesday, the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release confirming that deputies became aware of the alleged altercation at approximately 1:46 p.m. while voters were casting ballots at the Green Pond Community Center. According to the release, Rivers had left the location before deputies arrived.
The sheriff’s office stated that after receiving information alleging a firearm was displayed during the altercation, it notified the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Because the allegation involves a sitting state representative, the investigation has been deferred to SLED.
Earlier Wednesday, SLED spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich told The Island News she had not yet been made aware of the case but would look into whether it had been referred to the agency.
As of publication, SLED had not confirmed whether it had received the complaint.
The Island News attempted to contact Rivers by phone and text message Tuesday evening but had not received a response before publication.
The incident occurred just hours before the conclusion of the Democratic primary election. Later Tuesday night, DeLoach defeated Rivers, receiving 53.7% of the vote to Rivers’ 46.3%, according to unofficial election results, securing the Democratic nomination for House District 121.
DeLoach will advance to the Nov. 3 general election, where he will face Republican Shelley Gay Yuhas.
The incident remains under investigation.
This story will be updated.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, 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.