It was the second shooting at the Gullah community bar on St. Helena Island in recent memory, and a night of celebration turned tragic when gunfire broke out during a high school alumni ceremony.
In this ancient Gullah town, a night of celebration was turned into one of tragedy and terror when a mass shooting occurred at a packed bar early on Sunday morning, leaving 4 people dead and at least 20 others injured. Hundreds of customers fled for their lives as automatic gunfire erupted “like a machine gun,” according to witnesses, during the South Carolina bar shooting that took place at Willie’s Bar and Grill during a high school alumni reunion.
South Carolina Shooting: Chaos and Carnage Unfolds
Just before one in the morning on Sunday, the violence broke out at Willie’s Bar and Grill on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in the neighborhood known as “Frogmore.” Gunfire broke out outside Battery Creek High School, where hundreds of people were attending an alumni ceremony, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Willie Turral, the proprietor of the bar, explained the scary moments: he described “screaming and panic and fear,” adding that the firing happened “in bursts” outside while those inside hurried for cover. “It was scary from the inside, people not knowing what’s really going on outside, people trying to get to safety.”
Robert Adams, executive director of the nearby Penn Center, told reporters he heard automatic gunfire that sounded like a machine gun. The violence sent everyone inside running out the back door, according to cook Henry Wright, who was there when the shooting occurred.
South Carolina Shooting Victims and Community in Mourning
The aftermath revealed the devastating human toll of the South Carolina bar shooting:
Accidental deaths:
- Officials found four people dead at the scene.
- They found one victim on the bar’s front steps.
- On the ground in front of the restaurant, 2 victims collapsed.
- Police found a fourth person dead near a tree on the property.
- One of the victims was a girl in her teens, about 17 years old.
Injured:
- Gunmen shot at least 20 people, and four were in critical condition.
- More victims are seeking care on their own at hospitals
- Numerous people with bullet wounds
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that deputies found “a large crowd, with several suffering from gunshot wounds” upon arrival. Multiple victims and witnesses ran to nearby businesses seeking shelter from the gunfire.
Investigation and Community History
The shooting at the bar in South Carolina is the second violent event to occur there in recent years. Two persons were shot but survived when “rapid fire” bullets broke out in the parking lot near closing time in November 2022, when the establishment was still known as Island Grill.
Current Investigation Status:
- Investigating “persons of interest” is the sheriff’s office.
- It’s unclear whether the shooting was targeted or random.
- The public was asked to provide information to investigators.
- The crime scene was still in operation on Sunday morning.
The Sheriff’s Office released a statement calling the incident “a tragic and difficult incident for everyone” and asking for patience as the investigation continues. “Our thoughts are with all the victims and their loved ones.”
Cultural Significance and Political Response
The shooting deeply affected the close-knit Gullah community on St. Helena Island. Around 5,000 Gullah people live there, descended from West Africans enslaved on rice fields before gaining freedom in the Civil War.
As “not just a restaurant but a community pillar committed to giving back, especially to our youth,” Willie’s Bar and Grill serves real Gullah-inspired food and seeks to share the “heartwarming spirit of the Gullah Geechee culture.”
Political leaders expressed horror at the violence. South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace said on X that she was “completely heartbroken” by the devastating shooting. Congressman James Clyburn called it a “senseless tragedy” and said he was devastated.
The incident adds to a troubling pattern of violence in the area, coming just weeks after two separate shootings at South Carolina State University, about 100 miles north, left one person dead and another injured.
FAQs
Four people were killed and at least 20 were injured in the shooting at Willie’s Bar and Grill.
The shooting happened at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, in an area locally known as “Frogmore.”
No, in November 2022, two people were shot at the same location when it was called Island Grill.
The bar was hosting a Battery Creek High School alumni event with hundreds of people in attendance.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating “persons of interest” but hasn’t released information about specific suspects.
The Gullah are descendants of enslaved Africans who have maintained much of their African heritage and represent a significant cultural community on St. Helena Island.
How can communities balance cultural celebration with public safety, and what measures would you suggest to prevent such tragedies? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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