Hardeeville officer won’t face charges in January deadly shooting, SLED report says

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. (WTOC) - A Hardeeville police officer who shot and killed a suspect in January will not face criminal charges, according to a full investigative report from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) obtained by our newsroom.

SLED investigated the officer-involved shooting, which is standard protocol to determine whether an officer’s use of force was justified.

Hardeeville Police Chief Sam Woodward noted at the time that SLED was called in as part of that process.

What the report says happened

According to the report, officers were first called to a nearby motel for a report of vehicle break-ins on Whyte Hardee Boulevard.

Investigators said surveillance video showed the suspect—identified as Jayden Holloway-Caldwell—attempting to enter multiple parked vehicles and getting inside one pickup truck.

SLED’s report states officers later found Holloway-Caldwell riding a bicycle outside a gas station in Hardeeville. Investigators said he told officers he was staying nearby and had gone out to buy a Sprite because he felt sick.

The report says officers later confirmed he was the person seen on surveillance footage and attempted to arrest him. Investigators said Holloway-Caldwell ran, but was later taken to the ground.

During the struggle, SLED reported officers repeatedly ordered Holloway-Caldwell to put his hands behind his back. Investigators say Holloway-Caldwell then fired a gun, striking one officer in the thigh.

That officer was taken to a Savannah hospital and later recovered.

SLED says Holloway-Caldwell then got up while holding the gun and pointed it toward two other officers. One officer fired two shots, striking Holloway-Caldwell once in the head, the report states.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Prosecutors: no grand jury presentation

SLED sent its investigative report to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office for review.

Prosecutors determined the officer’s actions did not warrant criminal prosecution, and the case would not be presented to a grand jury.

In an April letter referenced in the report, prosecutors said the case “will not be presented to the grand jury” due to either “insufficient evidence or conduct not criminal.”

After the shooting, Holloway-Caldwell’s family spoke publicly about their loss, saying, “I understand he was seen as one person to you guys, but he was Jayden first to us, and we’re mourning over him.”

The Full Report can be found here: