ST. HELENA ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Authorities on Monday identified the three men and a woman who were killed during a weekend mass shooting at a bar on a South Carolina island. At least 20 other people were wounded.
Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island was crowded with people when the shooting started on Sunday, including many who had attended Battery Creek High School in Beaufort and were at the bar for an alumni event.
Flowers and candles were placed outside the bar on Monday as the Beaufort County coroner's office identified the dead as Kashawn Glaze, 22, Sherrod Smalls, 33, Amos Gary, 54 and A’shan’tek Milledge, 22.
Sheriff's Lt. Danny Allen said Monday that investigators had no new information to share.
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.
“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.