Daniel Prince
May 3, 2023
Shots exchanged following traffic stop
The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating an officer-involved shooting that left a Union County man dead in Jasper County. The shooting took place Monday, May 1, around 4:15 a.m. near Exit 8 off I-95, according to Chief Sam Woodward with the Hardeeville Police Department. According to SLED, Hardeeville Police Department officers responded to a 911 call regarding an armed and aggressive driver shooting at a vehicle in Jasper County. Hardeeville officers and a Jasper County Sheriff’s Office deputy found a vehicle at a gas station that matched the description from the call. The driver, later identified as 33-year-old Calaab Kirby of Union, drove away from law enforcement at the gas station. The officers and the deputy followed Kirby, who pulled over onto a gravel road. Following an exchange of gunfire, Kirby died at the scene. None of the officers were injured.
The three officers involved are on administrative leave from the Hardeeville Police Department pending the completion of the investigation. The deputy from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is also on administrative leave. Citing the ongoing investigation, SLED said no other information about the case will be disclosed at this time.
The incident was the 10th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina this year and the first for the Hardeeville Police Department and Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. Last year, there were 32 officer-involved shootings statewide, and none in Jasper County.