St. Helena Island, S.C. — Four people were killed and at least 20 others wounded early Sunday when gunfire erupted outside Willie’s Bar & Grill on St. Helena Island, home to the largest Gullah community on the South Carolina coast, authorities said.
Beaufort County sheriff’s deputies responding to reports of shots fired found multiple victims and a chaotic scene, with people fleeing to nearby businesses for shelter. “This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on X, asking for patience as detectives work the case. No arrests or suspect details had been released as of Sunday evening.
Four victims remained in critical condition at area hospitals, officials said. Authorities have not publicly identified the dead or injured, pending notification of families.
Bar owner Willie Turral said the venue was packed for a Battery Creek High School alumni gathering when bursts of gunfire rang out from outside. Inside, he said, fear spread quickly. “Screaming and panic and fear,” Turral recalled, adding that patrons tried to find safe cover as the situation unfolded. The event had drawn a large crowd from Beaufort, about 10 miles northwest of St. Helena Island.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) wrote on X that she was “COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN” over the shooting. Local officials urged calm while asking witnesses to contact investigators and share video that could aid the probe.
Willie’s Bar & Grill bills itself as a community spot serving Gullah-inspired cuisine and supporting youth programs. The attack rattled St. Helena, where an estimated 5,000 residents trace their heritage to enslaved West Africans who worked Lowcountry rice plantations before emancipation. Geographic isolation helped the Gullah—also known as Geechee in parts of the Southeast—preserve distinct traditions, from language and cuisine to basket weaving and cast-net fishing.
Sunday’s violence marks one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent South Carolina memory and deepened concerns about gun crime in rural communities. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said investigators are interviewing witnesses, collecting shell casings and canvassing the area for security footage to piece together what led to the gunfire.
Authorities asked anyone with information or video from the Battery Creek alumni event or the area around Willie’s Bar & Grill to come forward. “Our thoughts are with all of the victims and their loved ones,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
