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An Allendale police officer is recovering after being shot five times.
James Hall was shot five times in his right arm on Saturday, April 27 as he was responding to a shooting incident while on patrol. He was transported to the Allendale County Hospital and later airlifted to an Augusta, Ga. hospital, but is now recovering at home in Blackville.
“He’s very lucky to be sitting there,” said his wife Michelle during a May 14 interview with The People-Sentinel.
Sgt. Hall said his father, the late James Lee Hall Sr., “was my guardian angel that day.” His father was a Williston police officer for 15 years but passed away in 2022.
After being shot five times – and more bullets striking his patrol car – Sgt. Hall said adrenaline and the will to live and return to his family kicked in. He was alert the entire time, even as he was transported to two hospitals.
“Never give up. Don’t quit,” said Sgt. Hall, who doesn’t want to discuss details of the shooting due to it still being an active investigation.
Though he’s not yet cleared to go back to work, Sgt. Hall said he’s ready to protect and serve the community once again.
“He cannot get there quick enough,” said Michelle.
Sgt. Hall also doesn’t want the shooting to “discourage others from thinking about or wanting to become an officer.” He said the world needs men and women who are willing to earn the respect of the communities they serve. That’s what he’s tried to do throughout his 20-year career in law enforcement.
“The rewarding moments are knowing that sometimes you can look back and know you’ve made a difference and made the community safer,” he said.
While the past two and a half weeks have been filled with good days and bad days, Sgt. Hall said the support of his fellow officers, community, family, and friends has made the ordeal much better.
“Even in our darkest hour, there’s always a bright light. The support and outreach for our family has been outstanding. It’s deeply and greatly appreciated,” he said.
Immediately following the shooting, officers from law enforcement agencies across the region and state responded to Allendale to show their support and assist.
“They were coming from every direction. It was crazy. I’ve never seen that many law enforcement officers in one place,” said Michelle, who estimated nearly 200 officers were on the ground in Allendale.
Sgt. Hall said the Blackville community, where he’s lived off and on for over 20 years, has especially shown him and his family a lot of love since the shooting.
Ever since police officers visited his school in the second grade, he’s wanted to be a cop. “I used to sit and talk with them,” he said.
After completing his military service, the Flint, Michigan native started his law enforcement career in Blackville. He later moved to Houston, Texas to work in the oil fields, but returned to Barnwell County to help his father, who was medically retired in 2007. After a few years working in Cottageville, he returned to the Blackville Police Department. He transferred to Bamberg in 2022 before joining the Allendale Police Department in October 2023.
Sgt. Hall has many medical appointments in his future as his injuries heal, but he’s maintaining a positive attitude and a grateful heart.
