Two teenagers were killed in a violent crash Wednesday night as they drove to the hospital after their car was hit by gunfire at a busy Beaufort junction. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office reported that no suspects had been arrested as of Thursday afternoon.
Around 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday, deputies received a complaint of gunfire near the intersection of Parris Island Gateway and Trask Parkway in Burton. A few minutes later, authorities were notified of a vehicle fire in the 800 block of Ribaut Road, approximately three miles away.
Investigators determined that the vehicle crashed and caught fire on its way to Beaufort Memorial Hospital following the shooting. The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office identified the two victims as Beaufort residents Ashi Mitchell and DaRhon Brooks, both aged 18. According to the sheriff’s office, the third occupant of the car was taken to the hospital.
Autopsies for both victims are scheduled for Thursday.
Beaufort County traffic cameras caught deputies placing at least a dozen evidence stickers in the junction Wednesday night. Yellow markings are used to identify the locations of shell casings at crime scenes.
Staff Sgt. Bob Herlong, a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, declined to clarify whether authorities suspected the bullets were fired from the side of the road or from another car.
Wednesday’s shooting was the third documented case of gunfire targeting cars in Beaufort County in less than a week. Three people were charged in connection with the two previous non-fatal events, one of which is thought to have stemmed from a road rage fight.
Reference: