Shane is Rick's partner in the sheriff's department and best friend since high school. When the apocalypse occurs — with Rick in a coma — Shane helps save Lori and Carl by fleeing with them toward Atlanta.

Shortly after the evacuation, Shane begins having an affair with Lori. When Rick shows up among a group of survivors returning from Atlanta, Lori seethes at Shane and warns him away from her family. "You think I’m not happy" Rick's alive, Shane asks. "Why would you be?" she responds. "You are the one that told me that he died."

Indeed, Shane was the last to see Rick in the hospital, but left the building believing Rick was dead. He is tortured by his responsibility in leaving him there. But, as he tells Lori, "I had y'all to think about." Still, his feelings for Lori persist.

Among the group of survivors, Shane has become the de facto leader. When Rick returns, Shane's influence lessens, causing tension between the partners. Their friction comes to a head following a walker attack on the camp. Shane blames Rick for not being there (Rick had returned to Atlanta to retrieve a bag of guns) and disagrees with him on the next course of action: Rick believes the group should head to the CDC in Atlanta for protection; Shane thinks an Army base 100 miles away is a safer bet.

When Shane challenges Rick on the matter, Rick responds that Shane would feel differently if he had a family to protect. "I kept them safe," Shane snaps. "Looked out for them like they were my own." Soon after, a sound draws Rick away. Shane aims his shotgun at Rick’s back, but comes to his senses before pulling the trigger.

Shane eventually backs Rick's plan to go to the CDC. Their first night at the facility, Shane drunkenly professes his love to Lori and tries to kiss her, and she scratches his face and neck. When Rick questions Shane about the injuries the next day, Shane says he did it to himself in his sleep. "Not like me at all," he says, eyeing Lori.

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