Local police dispensed new measures employed in the wake of the April 7 shooting on Isle of Palms during an Aug. 14 press conference attended by City officials and several media members.
Surrounded by fellow officers from various law enforcement agencies in the Lowcountry, IOP Police Chief Kevin Cornett credited his colleagues for their help in gathering evidence resulting in the arrest of Davion Bobby Del'Shawn Singleton.
The 18-year-old suspect, recounted Cornett, was a Summerville High School senior who drove to IOP on the day of the crime in a stolen vehicle during a "Senior Skip Day" that saw numerous schools trek out to the Ocean Boulevard beach area.
The police official noted that Singleton was the sole shooter, but wasn't ready to state a motive for the attack that earned the alleged offender his capture on five counts of attempted murder, among other charges. The teenager in custody had no prior record of wrongdoing, per Cornett.
"We know that there were groups of individuals that were involved in disputes and we believe that some of that may have played a role in it. But again, we're not 100 percent sure with everything as far as what the motive was. That will probably come out during the trial," said Cornett.
The police chief did indicate that some of the individuals in the range of the shooting were random bystanders.
In addition, Cornett reported that Singleton was the fifth arrest recorded in relation to the April 7 physical disturbance that took place at a private pier, as detailed in a prior media release.
"While we are still investigating, we will be charging anybody else that we find any evidence or video evidence where they were involved in criminal activity — they will be charged as well."
In response to whether any initiatives have been instituted to beef up safety since the shooting over the past four months, Cornett told media members that his command has incorporated a permit that's required for groups of 50 or more who visit the beach. This has been useful in identifying organizers for different events on the island, he added.
Moreover, IOP police have enacted a K-9 unit on the island as well, along with ramping up the deployment of drones and adding a transport van to the mix, which wasn't readily available on the day of the shooting.
"We out here in law enforcement, we will do everything in our power to make sure that everybody who commits a crime out here is held accountable for that. As you can see with everybody behind us, it's not just Isle of Palms, we all work as one team," observed Cornett.
Other collaborating agencies acknowledged included: Charleston PD, North Charleston PD, South Carolina Enforcement Division, FBI, Summerville PD, Mount Pleasant PD and the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.
