Beaufort: A mass shooting at a crowded bar on South Carolina’s St. Helena Island — home to the largest Gullah community on the state’s coast — left four people dead and at least 20 others injured, officials said on Sunday.
Authorities said the violence erupted early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill, where a large crowd had gathered. When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
“Screaming and panic and fear,” recalled bar owner Willie Turral, who was inside when he heard a burst of gunfire outside. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that many people fled to nearby businesses for safety.
“This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “We ask for patience as we continue our investigation. Our thoughts are with all victims and their families.”
Four of the wounded remained in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon. Officials have not yet released the names of those killed or injured.
Turral said the bar had been hosting a reunion event for alumni of Battery Creek High School in nearby Beaufort, about 10 miles away. “It was scary from the inside,” he said. “People didn’t know what was happening — everyone was just trying to get to safety.”
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on X that she was “completely heartbroken” to learn of the shooting.
St. Helena Island, home to roughly 5,000 residents, is a historic Gullah community whose people descend from enslaved Africans who worked on the region’s rice plantations before the Civil War.
Willie’s Bar and Grill, known for its Gullah-inspired cuisine, describes itself as “a community pillar committed to giving back, especially to our youth.” The establishment recently hosted a cultural event titled “One Gullah Nation,” featuring art, storytelling, and poetry.
