SLED confirms Berkeley County Sheriff's deputy fired during traffic stop death of armed teenager

The State Law Enforcement Division confirmed that a Berkeley County Sheriff's deputy fired a weapon during a traffic stop that resulted in the death of an armed teenager near Clements Ferry Road on Tuesday evening, April 23.

Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said deputies had been patrolling the area to investigate "a rash of violent crimes in the area" that included "shooting into dwellings." He said detectives stopped a vehicle with multiple occupants near the intersection of Clements Ferry Road and Rivers Reach Drive, and during the traffic stop, a confrontation occurred that led to a shooting.

The gunfire killed 17-year-old Tyren J. Kinloch of Wando.

Lewis, as required by law, requested the assistance of SLED to investigate the incident. 

SLED's public information director, Renee Wunderlich, released a statement Friday that said, "During a traffic stop related to a Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office investigation into recent shootings, an armed teenager got out of the stopped vehicle and ran. During a chase, the deputy fired. The teen was shot and transferred to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased."

The release also stated, "A handgun with an extended magazine and a switch was located near Kinloch," and explained that "a switch is an illegal device that modifies a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic firearm."

No law enforcement officers were injured during the incident.

A request by The Daniel Island News to identify the deputies involved has not yet been answered.

Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell said his office was notified by a local hospital at 10:22 p.m. that Tuesday night "in reference to a victim that was brought into the emergency room with fatal injuries from a shooting that involved a Berkeley County Sheriff's deputy."

Sheriff Lewis told the media shortly thereafter there had been "several incidents over the last couple of months," which prompted detectives to patrol the area that evening. "As a result of that, this is related to the incident," he said.

Lewis added, "We have all the occupants that were in the vehicle as well."

No further information has been released.

The SLED statement said the incident is the 15th officer-involved shooting in 2025 and the second officer-involved shooting for the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office this year.

In 2024, there were 45 officer-involved shootings in South Carolina. The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office had no officer-involved shootings last year.