4 dead, at least 20 injured after shooting at South Carolina coastal bar: 'Screaming and panic and fear'

Four people are dead and at least 20 people are injured after a shooting at a bar on the South Carolina coast early Sunday morning, officials told the Associated Press.

A large crowd was at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island when arriving sheriff’s deputies found many people with gunshot wounds, the AP said. St. Helena Island is just north of Hilton Head Island.

'Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence.'

Bar owner Willie Turral was inside the restaurant — which was full of patrons there for a high school alumni gathering — when he heard shots “in bursts” outside, the AP said, adding that Turral said the reaction was "screaming and panic and fear.”

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that it received reports about the shooting shortly before 1 a.m.

"Upon arriving at the scene, deputies made contact with a large crowd of people, several of which were suffering from gunshot wounds," the statement reads. "It was learned that hundreds of people were at the location when the shooting occurred. Multiple victims and witnesses ran to the nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from the [gunshots]."

More from the sheriff's office:

The circumstances of this incident are still under investigation. At this time, we know that at least 20 people were injured. Four were transported to area hospitals in critical conditions and four victims were pronounced deceased at the scene. Names of victims will not be released at this time. The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office may release additional information regarding the deceased victims pending notification of their next of kin.

The sheriff's office added that it is "investigating persons of interest."

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Turral said his bar was hosting an alumni event for Battery Creek High School in Beaufort, which is about 10 miles northwest of St. Helena Island, the AP reported.

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

The AP said about 5,000 or more Gullah people living on St. Helena Island trace their ancestry to enslaved West Africans who worked rice plantations in the area before being freed at the time of the Civil War.

Willie’s Bar and Grill advertises itself as serving authentic Gullah-inspired food and describes itself on its website as “not just a restaurant but a community pillar committed to giving back, especially to our youth," the AP added.

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