Tragic South Carolina Bar Shooting Claims Lives of Four, Including One Woman

On Monday, authorities revealed the identities of four individuals tragically killed in a mass shooting over the weekend at a bar on St. Helena Island, South Carolina. The victims included three men and a woman, while at least 20 others suffered injuries during the incident.

The shooting erupted at Willie’s Bar and Grill, a popular venue on the island, which was buzzing with patrons on Sunday. Among those present were many alumni from Battery Creek High School in Beaufort, gathered for a reunion event.

Flowers and candles were placed outside the bar as the Beaufort County coroner’s office identified the dead as Kashawn Glaze, 22, Chiraad Smalls, 33, Amos Gary, 54 and A’shan’tek Milledge, 22.

Authorities have stated that they are continuing to investigate the incident and are focusing on several “persons of interest.”

“We have appreciated the many members of the community who have been coming forward with information. We also appreciate your continued patience as we investigate this difficult tragedy that occurred in our community,” the sheriff’s office said Monday.

Willie’s Bar serves Gullah-inspired cuisine and describes itself on its website as “not just a restaurant but a community pillar committed to giving back, especially to our youth.”

An estimated 5,000 or more Gullah people living on the island trace their ancestry back to enslaved West Africans who once worked rice plantations in the area before being freed by the Civil War.

It’s hard “to have your name on the door and not feel the weight of what’s happening,” bar owner Willie Turral told WCSC-TV.

___

This story has been updated to correct the first name of Chiraad Smalls, not Sherrod, the coroner’s office said.