BEAUFORT, S.C. (Oct. 28, 2026) – A Hilton Head Island man has been convicted of shooting a woman in the head after a brief verbal exchange in an apartment parking lot.
Bernard Garvin Jr., 35, was found guilty Wednesday by a Beaufort County General Sessions jury of attempted murder in the 2023 incident. He also was convicted of possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime and sentenced to 20 years in prison, plus five years’ probation.
“This defendant is a bully who let his ego overcome him in a way that is barely comprehensible,” said Rachel DeAngelis of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Any normal person in his situation would have ended this brief confrontation with a roll of the eyes or by walking away. Instead, he pulled out a gun and shot an unarmed woman in the head. Today’s conviction holds him accountable for that unconscionable choice.”
A crime-scene photo shows the aftermath of an attempted murder committed by Bernard Garvin Jr. in a Hilton Head Island apartment complex on June 9, 2023. Trajectory rods show where bullets struck the victim’s mini-van, and placards mark the spot where evidence, including four shell casings were discovered by investigators.
On June 9, 2023, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports of a shooting at the Hilton Head Gardens apartment complex on Southwood Park Drive. They arrived to find a pool of blood and spent shell casings on the pavement, and bullet damage to a parked minivan. The victim had already been taken to a local hospital, however.
Investigators learned a woman had been grazed in the head by a bullet after she briefly argued with Garvin upon arriving at the complex. The woman was driving her friend’s minivan and dropping her off at the complex. She planned to ride home with a male friend who followed in his vehicle. As the two cars pulled into the parking lot, the occupants saw Garvin and another woman tussling over a liquor bottle as several other people, who were attending an all-day party, milled about.
The victim emerged from the vehicle and asked Garvin why he was “beating that woman.” She and Garvin then exchanged angry words.
As the man in the other car tried to encourage the victim to get in his car so they could leave, Garvin pulled a 9mm handgun and shot the woman in the head. He fired at least four shots.
The injured woman was taken to Hilton Head Hospital, then transferred to a Savannah hospital and placed in intensive care with possible bleeding on the brain. Multiple witnesses identified the shooter as Bernard Garvin Jr., known locally as “Berney.” Garvin was arrested Sept. 26, 2023, in Stockbridge, Ga, and extradited to Beaufort County.
DeAngelis called seven witnesses during two days of testimony at the Beaufort County Courthouse.
Garvin’s criminal history dates to 2011 and includes convictions for assault and battery, discharging a firearm into a vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, pointing and presenting a firearm, driving under suspension and parole violations.
Circuit Court Judge Robert Bonds handed down the sentence.
DeAngelis is a Beaufort County team attorney. She has worked for the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office since 2022. She was assisted by Assistant Solicitor Meghan Estenson.
Bernard Garvin Jr.
