Full Notification

Case History
At approximately 10:10 a.m. this morning, a woman was shot by an unknown Hispanic man outside of a residence at the Point Comfort Club on Hilton Head Island, according to witnesses. Sheriff's Office deputies and Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue personnel responded to the scene. While deputies secured the scene, fire personnel rendered aid to the woman. It was learned that the unknown Hispanic man had fled the scene in a silver Mercedes Benz prior to deputies arriving. The woman was flown by helicopter to Savannah Memorial, due to the severity of her wound(s).

The Investigation
At the scene, investigators found a cartridge casing on the ground in proximity to where the wounded woman was found. Early on, witnesses provided deputies with a lead on a possible person of interest. It was learned that the wounded woman had recently complained that a Hispanic man—with whom she was acquainted—had harassed her. Looking into the harassment further, investigators found disturbing text messages from an unknown male subject on the woman's mobile telephone, one message as recent as yesterday.

Developing Information on the Person of Interest
Shortly after 11:00 a.m. this morning, while Sheriff's Office investigators were still on scene at Point Comfort Club, Jasper County Sheriff's deputies were called to respond to a death scene at Brook Mill apartments. When Jasper County deputies arrived, they found a deceased Hispanic man, 41-year-old Jose Guzman-Rosario, inside of his apartment.

Jasper County deputies observed that Guzman-Rosario had sustained what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. In proximity to Guzman-Rosario's body, Jasper County deputies found the same caliber handgun believed used to shoot the woman at Point Comfort Club. Jasper County deputies also found a cartridge casing of the same caliber and manufacturer as the one found near the wounded woman. Jasper County deputies reported that the clothing Guzman-Rosario was wearing at the time of his death matched the description of the clothing worn by the Hispanic man in this morning's shooting. 

Additional Evidence Connecting Guzman-Rosario
Jasper County deputies located a silver Mercedes Benz, which was registered to Guzman-Rosario in the parking lot of his Brook Mill apartment. Guzman-Rosario's silver Mercedes matched the description provided by witnesses of the one driven by the Hispanic male away from the Point Comfort Club shooting. In addition, it was confirmed by Sheriff's Office investigators that Guzman-Rosario's silver Mercedes was on Hilton Head Island during the time frame of this morning's shooting. 

This evening, in coordination with Jasper County deputies, Sheriff's Office investigators are conducting search warrants on Guzman-Rosario's Brook Mill apartment and his silver Mercedes. A mobile telephone found in Guzman-Rosario's apartment was confirmed to be the one used to text the wounded woman yesterday. Based on information gathered up to this point in the investigation, Guzman-Rosario is believed responsible for shooting the woman at the Point Comfort Club.

The investigation is ongoing. Evidence collected at the Point Comfort Club scene and from the search warrants on Guzman-Rosario's apartment and vehicle will be subjected to forensic analysis. There is no update on the wounded woman's condition at Savannah Memorial. Additional information will be released when available. 

We appreciate your partnership and continued commitment to the safety of our community.