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Four people were killed and 16 injured in a weekend mass shooting at a South Carolina island bar, with the local sheriff lamenting the lack of cooperation from hundreds of witnesses.
Beaufort County Sheriff PJ Tanner confirmed Wednesday that no arrests have been made following the incident early Sunday at Willie’s Bar & Grill on St. Helena Island.
His deputies are “methodically investigating”, testing DNA, analyzing weapons and bullets, and enhancing crime scene video. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between two or three individuals, all of whom grew up in Beaufort County, who then opened fire.
Tanner said, “We had 700 people at this party. And we still haven’t found any witnesses that can tell us who the shooters were. This is ridiculous.”
The sheriff said he thinks people want to cooperate but are afraid of retaliation. They said they can report what they know anonymously crime prevention,
Tanner fielded questions from reporters and the community about the last-ditch shooting over drinks Wednesday at a party celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Class of 2000 at Battery Creek High School in Beaufort.
Tanner described the scene as horrifying, but not surprising since bullets were fired indiscriminately into such a large crowd of about 300 people inside the bar and 400 outside.
“When that many bullets are fired into a crowd with the number of people that we have — many people are going to be injured. Many people are going to be killed,” Tanner said at Wednesday’s briefing.
Tanner said it takes time to build a case based on contrary evidence from eyewitnesses.
shell Some of the shell casings and bullets taken from inside the victims were being sent to state agents on Wednesday. The FBI was trying to enhance and analyze video from inside and outside the bar. And Beaufort County deputies were testing DNA, Tanner said.
The goal, the sheriff said, is to make sure whatever charges are filed are upheld.
“What I’m not going to do is make these families suffer a second time,” Tanner said.
Tanner declined to say how many people may have fired shots or provide any identifying information about possible suspects.
The sheriff also clarified that 16 people were injured in the shooting. Initial reports said at least 20 people were injured by gunfire.
Kashawn Glaze, 22; Chirad Smalls, 33; Amos Gary, 54; and Ashantek Milledge, 22, were killed in the shooting.
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.”
It is estimated that the 5,000 or more Gullah people living on the island of St. Helena trace their ancestry to enslaved West Africans who once worked rice plantations in the area before being freed by the Civil War.