Search underway for armed, dangerous suspect in Burton homicide

BURTON, S.C. (WTOC) - [UPDATE 1:55 p.m. 9/11/2025] The vehicle originally sought in connection to Tyre Joe Atkins has been located, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office announced moments ago.

Atkins himself has not yet been found.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has encouraged the public to report any information regarding Atkins’ whereabouts by calling 911 or submitting tips via Crime Stoppers of Beaufort County.

[ORIGINAL STORY] The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a suspect wanted for a murder in Burton.

At about 4 p.m. on Sept. 10, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received reports of shots fired at the Independence Mobile Home Park in Burton.

When deputies arrived on scene, they found a man dead from gunshot wounds. The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as 20-year-old Ty Haskell Jenkins IV.

21-year-old Tyre Joe Atkins has been identified as the person responsible for the murder of Jenkins. Investigators have obtained a warrant for Atkins’ arrest on the charge of murder.

Neighbors at the mobile home park tell us that this isn’t the first deadly shooting to happen in their area, but they want it to be the last.

“It’s always sad, especially in a place where you lay your head at and where kids are outside playing,” one resident said.

They say that if more safety measures were added in the area, then the number of shootings may decrease.

“More cameras, more lights, and more surveillance, really,” Another resident said. “We need people watching for the right things, not the wrong things, things that look suspicious.”

Atkins is about 5′10″ tall and weighs 170 lbs. He was last seen driving a 2015 blue Jeep Cherokee with South Carolina license plate 4467TA.

Atkins is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is urged to call 911. To remain anonymous, tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Beaufort County via the P3 Tips app, online at tipsbft.com , or by calling 844-TIPS-BFT (844-847-7238).