Rhashard Spikes, a 21-year-old male, was killed in what the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office has described as a road-rage shooting on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on the evening of August 4, 2015. An employee of the Beaufort County Animal Shelter, Spikes was driving his Dodge Dart with two passengers when the fatal encounter occurred. Shortly before he died, Spikes was able to provide investigators with an account of the events that led to his death.
According to Spikes, he was
driving near the intersection of U.S. 278 and Southwood Park Drive when a small, silver-colored vehicle with tinted windows, possibly a Toyota, veered into his lane. After Spikes avoided a collision and shouted at the other driver, the silver vehicle pursued him. As the suspect's vehicle caught up to Spikes' car, at least two shots were fired, striking him at least once. Despite being wounded, Spikes managed to pull his car over into a nearby parking lot. He was transported to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, where he succumbed to his injuries just after midnight.
The investigation into the death of Rhashard Spikes was handled by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement interviewed the two passengers who were in the car with Spikes. However, a description of the driver or any passengers in the suspect's vehicle was not released. The case remains an active cold case, and while investigators received information about possible persons of interest, no arrests have ever been made in connection with the murder. The Sheriff's Office has periodically requested that anyone with information regarding the shooting come forward to assist in the ongoing investigation.
