Family speaks out after 19-year-old shot, killed by police in Hardeeville

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. (WTOC) - The family of a 19-year-old man shot and killed by Hardeeville police is speaking publicly as state investigators continue to examine what happened.

The Jasper County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Jayden Holloway-Caldwell, of Pawleys Island, South Carolina. His family says he was in Hardeeville visiting his grandmother at the time of the shooting.

“To know Jaden is to love Jaden. Jaden has such a big heart, a pure heart,” his mother, Jane’vanna Holloway, said. “He always wanted to make sure everybody around him was okay.”

According to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Hardeeville Police officers were called to the Super 8 Motel on Whyte Hardee Boulevard around 4:30 a.m. Friday for reports of someone attempting to break into parked vehicles. Investigators say officers later encountered an armed man matching that description in the parking lot of the Shell gas station next door.

SLED says an altercation followed and there was an exchange of gunfire.

Both Holloway-Caldwell and a Hardeeville Police officer were shot and taken to the hospital. SLED says the officer is recovering.

Holloway-Caldwell died at the hospital from his injuries.

His grandmother, Michelle Caldwell-Allen, said Holloway-Caldwell often checked on her and was protective.

“Did you take your medicine today? Did you eat today?” she said. “He was always checking on me… He always wanted to protect his nana.”

His sister, Jaychelle Holloway, said the family is grieving and wants the public to understand who he was to them.

“I understand he was seen as one person to you guys, but he was Jayden first to us,” she said. “And we’re mourning over him.”

Court records show Holloway-Caldwell had previously been charged in unrelated cases, including a felony charge involving a stolen firearm and a felony charge related to breaking into vehicles.

SLED says the investigation remains active and ongoing. The agency confirmed this is the fourth officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2026.