BEAUFORT COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — Authorities have confirmed that an overnight shooting on the South Carolina island of St. Helena has left four people dead and at least 20 more wounded at a packed bar.
As reported by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the incident took place around 1 a.m. Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill, which was attended by at least 100 individuals.
Numerous individuals were found with gunshot injuries. BCSO specified that at least 20 people were hurt in the shooting. Four people were taken to the hospital in critical condition, while several gunshot victims made their way to the hospital independently.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims’ identities have not been released.
“Multiple victims and witnesses sought refuge in nearby businesses and properties to escape the gunfire,” stated the sheriff’s office on the social media platform X.
“This incident is tragic and challenging for all involved. We ask for your patience as our investigation continues. Our thoughts are with all victims and their families,” the statement added.
BCSO said it is “investigating persons of interest,” but did not release any additional details.
“There was screaming, panic, and fear,” recounted bar owner Willie Turral, who was inside when he heard shots being fired outside. “The shots went off in bursts,” he described.
Turral said the bar was packed for an event for alumni of Battery Creek High School in Beaufort, about 10 miles northwest of St. Helena Island. He said that people were having a good time when the shots were heard.
“It was scary from the inside,” he said, with “people not knowing what’s really going on outside, people trying to get to safety.”
An estimated 5,000 or more people living on St. Helena Island are descended from enslaved people who worked rice plantations in the area before they were freed by the Civil War.
Willie’s Bar and Grill advertises itself as serving authentic Gullah-inspired cuisine.
“We’re not just a restaurant but a community pillar committed to giving back, especially to our youth,” it says on its website.
The bar recently hosted an event called “One Gullah Nation,” an art expo with storytelling and poetry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
