4 killed, at least 20 injured in shooting at South Carolina high school reunion

Four people are dead and at least 20 others injured after a mass shooting took place at a South Carolina restaurant in the early hours of Sunday.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said that just before 1 am on October 12, the office received multiple reports of a shooting at Willie’s Bar and Grill on the island of St Helena in South Carolina. The sheriff’s office said that it is "investigating persons of interest." A celebration for the Battery Creek High School alumni was happening at the time of the shooting.

Deputies who arrived on the scene found multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds. At least 20 people were injured, four of whom were transported to local hospitals in critical condition. Four people were pronounced dead at the scene.

Henry Wright, a cook at the bar who was there when the shooting took place, told the Island Packet, "It’s crazy." He added, "I heard a lot of shots."

He said the shooting occurred outside Willie’s and sent people inside running out the back door. One person who died was found on the restaurant's front steps, two were found on the ground in front of the building, and the fourth was found dead by a tree, he said. One of the victims, Wright said, was a "little girl," a teen around the age of 17.

Willie Turral, the establishment's owner, told WJCL, "I could hear what sounded like machine gunfire, and I could see the swarm of people coming in. Things happened so fast—bodies on the ground, people just trying to duck for cover." He said one of the lives lost in the shooting was a security guard who was working that night. He described the guard as a close family friend.

“We spoke the night before,” Turral said. “It’s close, real close to home.”