In the winter of 2023, a burst of gunfire shattered the evening calm in the parking lot of a bustling Bluffton shopping center, leaving a wake of tragedy. When police arrived, they discovered 26-year-old Rasheen Dupont, a male from Ridgeland, fatally wounded. The incident, which unfolded on a Friday night, also claimed the life of 18-year-old Omarion Garvin of St. Helena and left a third man injured.
The events began to unfold shortly after 10:30 p.m.
when law enforcement received a call about gunfire and a possible victim in the shopping center's shared parking lot. There, they found Dupont. Minutes later, a second 911 call came in from a man reporting his friend had been shot. Deputies located a 25-year-old man in a car with injuries near the Bluffton Parkway on-ramp to Fording Island Road; he was subsequently transported to a hospital in Savannah.
While en route to the injured man, emergency responders made another grim discovery on Buckingham Plantation Drive. Lying in the road was Garvin, who had also sustained gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement officials stated that it was unclear if the three victims knew each other. Authorities began an investigation into the deadly shootings, but as of the day following the incident, no arrests had been announced, and no suspects had been publicly identified. The investigation into the double homicide and assault continues.
