Three consecutive days of gunfire followed Travis Brown’s death, culminating in an Interstate 95 pursuit and three additional arrests.
JASPER COUNTY, S.C. — Authorities investigating the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old in Hardeeville say the violence continued for three days afterward, with separate shootings across Jasper County that investigators believe were retaliation for the killing and that prompted three additional arrests.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said shootings were reported Oct. 3, Oct. 4 and Oct. 5 after Travis Brown was killed in Hardeeville on Oct. 2. No one was injured in the three later incidents, officials said, but investigators believe the shootings were connected to opposing sides of the dispute surrounding Brown’s death. The final incident led to a vehicle pursuit, a crash and the recovery of four firearms.
The sequence began after Brown, 18, was shot near Bus Loop Road and Red Dam Road in Hardeeville on Friday night. He was transported to Coastal Carolina Hospital and pronounced dead. Although the shooting happened near Hardeeville High School while a football game was underway, police have said the homicide was not connected with the school, its students or a school-sponsored event.
Investigators say the first suspected retaliatory shooting occurred Oct. 3 in the Cooks Landing Road area of Hardeeville. Another was reported Oct. 4 in the Industrial Park Road area, followed by a third Oct. 5 on Bees Creek Road. Authorities said the first two resulted in property damage but no reported injuries. Officials have not publicly identified everyone suspected of involvement in those incidents.
The Oct. 5 case escalated after shots were fired at a home. Deputies received a description of a vehicle believed to have been involved and later located it, according to the Sheriff’s Office. When deputies attempted a traffic stop, the vehicle did not stop and a pursuit continued south on Interstate 95. The pursuit ended after the vehicle crashed.
Deputies arrested Reyli Cisnero, 20, and two 15-year-olds who were inside the vehicle. Investigators said they recovered four firearms, including a Glock 17 9mm handgun, two AR-15-style rifles and an AK-style pistol. Authorities have not publicly said whether any of the weapons were connected to Brown’s killing or to the earlier two suspected retaliatory shootings.
Cisnero was charged with offenses including failure to stop for blue lights, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, discharging firearms into a dwelling and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. He also faces aggravated breach-of-peace and weapons-related charges. The two juveniles face several weapons-related charges, including allegations involving firing into a dwelling. All of the charges remain allegations.
Jasper County Sheriff Chris Malphrus said investigators linked the later violence to Brown’s killing through information gathered during the investigation and from suspects. He said the home targeted in one shooting was associated with what investigators viewed as the other side of the dispute. Authorities have not characterized the shootings as gang-related and have not released a complete account of the conflict that preceded Brown’s death.
The retaliation investigation is unfolding alongside the homicide case. Hardeeville police have arrested Joshua Elliot Ferguson and Cleve Rudolph White on murder and weapons charges in Brown’s death. Leiya Aubre Watson was arrested on an accessory-after-the-fact charge. Investigators believe Brown’s killing was premeditated, but the defendants have not been convicted of the allegations against them.
Officials have stressed that the continuing gunfire created risks beyond the people directly involved in the dispute. Malphrus urged those connected to the violence to stop retaliating and allow law enforcement agencies to continue their investigations. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and Hardeeville Police Department are working together on the related cases.
Authorities said the homicide and subsequent shootings remain active investigations. Additional arrests or charges are possible as investigators review evidence and determine whether other people participated in the violence. Officials have not announced injuries from any of the three suspected retaliatory shootings.
Author note: Last updated October 7, 2026.