SHOCKING Traffic Stop – Illegal Immigrant Fires

Police car lights flashing at night background

A South Carolina deputy is alive today because body armor stopped a chest shot fired by a previously deported illegal immigrant who had already been convicted of felony illegal re-entry.

Quick Take

Charleston County deputies say a Mexican national, previously deported in 2019, shot a deputy in the chest during an attempted traffic stop on Johns Island.
The deputy survived because body armor absorbed the impact, while other deputies returned fire and the suspect later died at a hospital.
DHS identified the suspect as Floriberto Perez-Nieto and said he had been convicted of felony illegal re-entry.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is leading the investigation, and involved deputies were placed on paid administrative leave pending review.

Deputy Survives Chest Shot During Johns Island Stop Attempt

Charleston County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a “shots fired” call on Johns Island shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb. 10, but they did not locate a suspect at that time. The same caller reported the armed person had returned around 3 a.m. on Feb. 11, deputies spotted a vehicle, and they attempted a traffic stop. Officials say the suspect evaded and then shot a deputy in the chest.

Deputies returned fire during the exchange. Officials later said the suspected shooter, Floriberto Perez-Nieto, died after being taken to a hospital. The injured deputy’s name was not released publicly, but authorities said the deputy survived because body armor stopped what could have been a fatal wound. The narrow margin between life and death in this incident is a reminder that routine calls can become lethal in seconds.

DHS Identifies Suspect as Prior Deportee With Felony Illegal Re-Entry

Federal officials stepped in publicly to identify the suspect’s immigration history. The Department of Homeland Security said Perez-Nieto was a Mexican national who had previously been removed from the United States on Feb. 20, 2019, and later convicted of felony illegal re-entry. DHS also said he “illegally obtained a firearm,” though the public record in the available reporting does not specify how he got the weapon or when he re-entered the country.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin emphasized the stakes for law enforcement during traffic stops and suspect encounters. In her public comments, she said the suspect “nearly killed a law enforcement officer” and credited the deputy’s body armor with saving his life. On the facts provided so far, the central issue is not political rhetoric but enforceable reality: deportation and a felony re-entry conviction still did not prevent a violent confrontation with local police in South Carolina.

What Investigators Have Confirmed—and What Remains Unclear

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said its Professional Standards Division is conducting an internal review, while the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is leading the broader investigation. Deputies involved in the shooting were placed on paid administrative leave, a standard step in many officer-involved shooting reviews. Beyond the timeline and identities released by DHS and local authorities, key details remain unconfirmed in the available reporting, including the deputy’s identity and the firearm’s source.

Limited data is available beyond the initial official statements and reporting, and there has been no broader confirmation from wire services in the research provided. That matters for readers who want hard answers, because specifics such as how a prohibited person obtained a gun, how long the suspect was back in the U.S., and what prior contacts he had with law enforcement can shape what policy fixes are realistic. For now, investigators have confirmed the core event sequence but not the deeper “how” behind it.

Why This Case Reignites the Enforcement Debate

The case lands at the intersection of two priorities many conservative voters share: backing law enforcement and insisting immigration laws be enforced in practice, not just on paper. DHS’s account ties the suspect to prior removal and felony re-entry, which is the kind of repeat violation that undermines public confidence in the system’s ability to deter dangerous conduct. At the same time, the deputy’s survival underscores why equipment, training, and support for local departments remain critical.

Officials have not released evidence showing when or where Perez-Nieto re-entered the country, and no public explanation has been provided for how he remained at large after a prior deportation and a felony re-entry conviction. Those gaps will likely keep pressure on investigators and policymakers to explain what failed—whether it was detection, detention capacity, interagency coordination, or something else. Until more facts are released, the most concrete takeaway is simple: a deputy went home because of body armor, not because the system stopped a repeat offender.