A gathering of old high school classmates at a South Carolina bar turned deadly early Sunday morning after four people were killed and 20 more were wounded in a mass shooting.
The shooting unfolded around 1 a.m. on Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The bar’s owner, Willie Terrell, told local outlet WJCL the venue was hosting an “alumni party” for graduates from Battery Creek High School. It was one of multiple alumni parties scheduled this weekend, he said.
Terrell described his bar as “packed,” and police said hundreds of people were nearby when gunshots rang out. The owner recounted a chaotic scene after hearing shots that “sounded like machine gun fire.”
“It was just mayhem, a tragedy, outside,” Terrell told WJCL. “It’s just unreal.”
Beaufort County EMS transported several victims to local hospitals, including four people who were in critical condition. More victims have continued to show up at area hospitals seeking treatment for their injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
A security officer was among those killed, Terrell told WJCL. Police have yet to release the victims’ names as they work to notify their families.
“One of the security officers who passed away happens to be the son of my dad's best friend,” Terrell said. “He came and we spoke the night before...it was close, real close.”
The sheriff’s office said it is investigating “persons of interest” and urged anyone with information on the shooting to contact law enforcement.
“This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone,” the sheriff’s office said. “We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident. Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones.”
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide additional details when contacted by The Independent.
Representative Nancy Mace, whose district includes St. Helena Island, shared a statement asking for anyone with information on the shooting to contact the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
“COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting in Beaufort County,” she wrote on X. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence.”
Senator Tim Scott also called the shooting “heartbreaking.”
“I’m lifting up in prayer the families who lost loved ones and those who were injured,” he wrote on X. “All of us in South Carolina will be holding those affected close in our hearts in the days ahead.”
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