The Daily Populous Sunday October 12nd, 2025 evening edition
Authored by apnews.com and submitted by glassen75

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BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — A mass shooting at a crowded bar on an idyllic South Carolina island has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials said.

The shooting occurred early Sunday at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island, officials said. A large crowd was at the scene when sheriff’s deputies arrived and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds.

“Multiple victims and witnesses ran to the nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from the gun shots,” the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on the social media platform X.

“This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone. 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 statement said.

Four people were found dead at the scene, and at least 20 other people were injured. Among the injured, four were in critical condition at area hospitals.

The property is owned by Willie Turral Food Services, according to county records. The Associated Press left a text message seeking comment from Turral.

People were attending a Battery Creek High School alumni tailgate event at the bar, Turral told The Post and Courier newspaper.

The victims’ identities were not released.

“COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting in Beaufort County,” U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace posted on X. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence.”

St. Helena Island is considered the largest Gullah community on the South Carolina coast. An estimated 5,000 or more people living there are descended from slaves who worked rice plantations in the area before they were freed by the Civil War.

Smaller enclaves of Gullah, referred to as Geechee in some areas, are scattered along the Southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say separation from the mainland caused the Gullah to retain much of their African heritage, including a unique dialect and skills such as cast-net fishing and basket weaving.

VapidRapidRabbit on October 12nd, 2025 at 14:20 UTC »

Weren’t 4 people killed in Mississippi the other day at a shooting at a high school football game? And now this? No national guard deployments though. In fact, I think Tennessee is the only red state targeted (and that’s just the city of Memphis)….

ExternalUserError on October 12nd, 2025 at 14:08 UTC »

Fun facts!

Under Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina legalized carrying firearms into bars 2014.

In 2024, the “constitutional carry” law took effect, allowing many adults to carry openly guns in bars without even a permit.

Anyway, no way to prevent this kind of thing and definitely nothing has worked in any other country in the world. 🤷‍♂️

Rogue_AI_Construct on October 12nd, 2025 at 13:59 UTC »

Sounds like they need to send the National Guard to South Carolina since they’re seeing crime at the levels they have never seen before. /s