HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — An off-duty Beaufort County sheriff’s deputy has been suspended after video surfaced showing him pulling a firearm on a group of teenagers during an incident in the Squiresgate neighborhood.
The confrontation happened Sunday evening around 6:47 p.m., when deputies were called to reports of a disturbance in the community where the deputy lives. Video posted online shows the deputy approaching several teens, pointing his gun at them, and ordering them to the ground. At one point, a scuffle breaks out, and the deputy can be seen threatening to shoot one of the teens while another screams for their mother.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the deputy has been suspended without pay and stripped of his badge, credentials, and department-issued weapons. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has been asked to investigate possible criminal violations.
Officials say the sheriff’s office is also conducting an internal affairs investigation.