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A police officer and two juveniles are among the victims of a series of recent shootings in Allendale County.
On Saturday afternoon, April 27, an Allendale police officer was shot in the line of duty as he responded to a shooting incident call. This shooting followed two others in recent days that left a juvenile dead and two other juveniles and an adult injured.
“We’ve had a rash of shootings in Allendale County that seem to be connected,” said Chief Lawrence Wiggins with the Allendale Police Department.
Officer Shot
The officer responded to a call about a shooting incident in the vicinity of Razor Road and Carroll Street in the Town of Allendale.
“It appears as he was pulling up on the scene that he had been ambushed,” said Chief Wiggins.
The officer, James Hall, was transported to the Allendale County Hospital before later being airlifted to another hospital. Hours after the shooting, Chief Wiggins said Hall was stable, but Hall has since been released.
"He is home and doing fine," said Chief Marvin Williams with the Fairfax Police Department on Tuesday, April 30.
Officer Hall previously worked for the Blackville Police Department before moving to the Allendale Police Department.
In response to the shooting, law enforcement officers from neighboring counties along with agents from the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division and S.C. Highway Patrol gathered in Allendale to lend their assistance. Chief Williams from Fairfax said more than 100 officers were on the scene.
“There’s a great turnout of support from officers coming together this afternoon,” said Chief Williams.
SLED is handling the investigation into the shooting of the officer, though local agencies are involved. The People-Sentinel reached out to SLED for more information, but they only stated it's an active investigation.
Juveniles Shot
The officer’s shooting follows at least two other shootings in Allendale County within about 48 hours.
On Thursday, April 25, an 11-year-old was shot at a residence in the Town of Allendale. Another juvenile was grazed by a bullet, said Fairfax Chief Williams, whose agency is assisting the Allendale Police Department.
Around 1 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, officers responded to a home on Bayshore Drive in the Town of Fairfax for a shooting that riddled the property with 15 to 20 bullets, said Chief Williams. A 14-year-old juvenile female was shot while sleeping and was later pronounced dead at the Allendale County Hospital. An adult male was also grazed but was treated at the hospital and released, said Chief Williams.
Allendale County Coroner Renique Riley-Spiller declined to release the name of the juvenile female victim from the Fairfax shooting.
“I’m not going to release her name, she’s a minor. She’s a female, that’s all I’m going to say,” said the coroner.
An autopsy on the juvenile was scheduled for Tuesday, said Riley-Spiller.
Chief Williams said the 14-year-old victim is a relative of a “possible suspect” from the shooting in the Town of Allendale.
“It’s a tragic situation,” said Chief Williams of an innocent juvenile losing her life. In shooting incidents like this, he said the shooters “don’t aim for nobody when they are shooting at people’s houses.”
SLED is investigating the Fairfax shooting in conjunction with the Fairfax Police Department.
Information Sought
No suspects have been arrested in any of the shootings as of publication, but law enforcement authorities are working to bring justice to the victims.
“A recent series of events has left the communities of Allendale, Fairfax, and Allendale County as a whole with a profound sense of sadness. We cannot, as a community, accept or condone violence as a part of our culture. The most innocent in our communities are being hurt and lost to violence they don’t have a hand in. This is not acceptable,” stated a post on the Allendale Police Department’s Facebook page.
Anyone with information about any of the recent shootings in the Town of Allendale can drop an anonymous tip to the Allendale Police Department by calling (803) 584-2178 or emailing AT@allendalepolice.com.
