Home Top Stories SLED: Teen Had Gun When Berkeley County Deputy Fired Fatal Shot

SLED: Teen Had Gun When Berkeley County Deputy Fired Fatal Shot

The Goose Creek Police Department has announced that it will conduct safety checkpoints on Friday, May 16. (FILE)

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Three days after a fatal shooting involving a Berkeley County deputy, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division released new details that shed some light on what led up to the shooting.

According to SLED, during a traffic stop related to a Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office investigation into recent shootings, an armed teenager got out of a stopped vehicle and ran.

State law enforcement officials said that during a brief foot chase, the deputy opened fire. The teen was shot and transferred to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.


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The Berkeley County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased teen as Tyren J. Kinloch, 17, of the Wando area.

A handgun with an extended magazine and a switch was located near Kinloch, state law enforcement officials said. 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, which remains under investigation.

According to SLED, the incident in Berkeley County is the 15th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2025. This is the 2nd 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.