The tight-knit community of Beaufort County, South Carolina, rallied on Wednesday evening in the wake of a tragic shooting that occurred outside a bar on St. Helena Island. This gathering marked the beginning of a collective journey towards healing and reflection on future actions.

The incident on October 12 at Willie’s Bar and Grill resulted in the loss of four lives and left over 20 individuals injured, casting a shadow of sorrow over the community. This calamity has left an indelible scar on the hearts of many residents.

An event organizer expressed a message of unity and resilience, stating, “Together, we can discover healing, gather strength, and find purpose by uniting as a community.”

The Wednesday night assembly saw the attendance of over a dozen community members who were keen to engage with local leaders and learn about the support resources that are currently accessible to them.

As affected families continue to grapple with the aftermath of this violent event, officials from the Beaufort County School District assured the community that there are existing support systems ready to assist those in need.

As families continue to process the violence, Beaufort County School District officials said support systems are already in place.

“We have mental health support and services for our employees through Hello Heroes, and Hello Heroes is available to our employees around the clock to provide support when needed,” said Frank Rodriguez, superintendent of the Beaufort County School District.

He continued, “We have mental health support and services for students. The primary one that provides mental health supports is Coastal Community Hospital. That provides mental health support services for our students. And so, we had them available and ready to go should any of our students needed that support.”

Law enforcement also highlighted resources for victims, families and first responders.

“We do have chaplains that are with the sheriff’s office. We currently have six chaplains in the sheriff’s office that are actually in different places all over our county. So, they can also be used as well for not only victims or families, but also for those first responders,” said Lt. Daniel Allen with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Still, many in the community say true change requires action from everyone: families, leaders and neighbors alike.

“I would love to see love to see us make a change. But we got to stop all this talk and really start,” one community member said.

Another said, “Stand up and be the adult. I hope this goes on because we need to let our community know that we are sick and tired until we get sick and tired, nothing’s going to happen.”

Community members said this is their home. They want to protect it, they are determined to heal, and most of all, they are pushing for change.