UPDATE: Residents in the Lakes at New Riverside neighborhood of Bluffton, S.C., are living in fear as gunfire disrupts their once peaceful streets. For over a year, this community has been plagued by random gunshots, prompting serious safety concerns among families.
The disturbing sounds have replaced children’s laughter, with neighbors reporting rapid gunfire lasting from 30 minutes to several hours at a time. Many residents fear for their lives, expressing that they feel like “sitting ducks.” One neighbor shared a shocking account: “I was literally standing on my back patio and a bullet whizzed by my head.”
Neighbors believe the shots are coming from target practice on a property located just 200 feet away, separated only by a gravel road and a berm. Residents have gathered evidence, including photos of a bullet lodged in a home’s siding, and have repeatedly called the police—only to receive minimal response. “I called 911 the last time and I asked someone to come out because someone was shooting into our neighborhood. No one came out,” lamented one resident.
Despite the urgency of the situation, local law enforcement directed residents to call a non-emergency line for what they consider a non-emergency incident. “It’s a non-emergency that a man is shooting less than 200 feet behind my property directly towards my home. I don’t understand how that’s non-emergency,” a neighbor expressed in frustration.
The community has taken action, creating a petition that has garnered 118 signatures in hopes of prompting change. They are demanding local officials take the gunfire seriously and enforce existing ordinances to prevent shooting toward residential properties. However, jurisdictional issues between the Town of Bluffton and unincorporated Beaufort County have complicated matters, leaving residents feeling helpless.
The neighborhood, still under construction with hundreds of homes planned, worries that the ongoing gunfire could escalate as more families move in. “This is growing. I mean, there’s going to be even more houses that are being built here. So, yeah, I just hope that they understand that we’re just trying to protect ourselves and our kids,” said a concerned neighbor.
In a troubling update, the Beaufort County sheriff’s office informed residents that they would not extract the bullet from the damaged home. Instead, the cost and responsibility of any further investigation will fall on the homeowners.
As residents await action from authorities, the community is calling for immediate intervention to ensure their safety. They hope that raising awareness about their plight will compel officials to take decisive steps to address this pressing public safety matter.
The sheriff’s office has confirmed that they are actively investigating the situation, but for now, residents remain on high alert and desperate for solutions as gunfire continues to haunt their neighborhood.
