Bar owner, St. Helena community left picking up the pieces after tragic mass shooting

ST. HELENA ISLAND, SC. (WTOC) -  A heartbroken owner and staff are left picking up the pieces after what was supposed to be a fun night, turned tragic when gunfire rang out outside of Willie’s Bar and Grill.

SEE: 4 dead, at least 20 injured in mass shooting on St. Helena Island

The owner Willie Turral was very emotional when telling us about Saturday night’s events, he says the bar was hosting Battery Creek High School’s alumni weekend and everyone was having a good time then the shots rang out.

SEE: Beaufort County School District releases statement following mass shooting at St. Helena bar

“I heard that the shots and it was scary from the inside you know what I mean like you could just tell the rapid succession of shots like it wasn’t a standard weapon like that,” said Turral. “You saw people giving CPR, you saw people picking people up, people crying, people care like, this community didn’t do this. A person did this.”

The gunfire rang out just before 1:00 a.m. Sunday.

Four people were killed and at least 20 are injured, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. 

Lowcountry community reacts to mass shooting

WTOC spoke with a member of the community who told us she’s at the bar at least twice a week enjoying what she says is a fun laid back environment at Willie’s. 

“I would have never expected anything like that to take place here, yanno the vibe that’s here is totally opposite of like oh I need to be watching my back, or I need to keep my head on a swivel,” said Jindia Blount.

Jindia Blount said Willie, the owner of the bar, isn’t just a business owner, he loves his community and is heavily involved in making the town a better place.

“I have people that I would consider family that they lost their lives last night. I mean this is home for me, so everybody, everybody it, it’s tough,” said Turral.

Hundreds of people were in the restaurant when the shooting itself happened.

Multiple victims and witnesses ran to nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from the gunfire.

Names of the victims have not yet been released at this point and the sheriff’s office said they’re investigating persons of interest.

Meanwhile, the pain can be seen behind Willie’s eyes.

“Nothing you can do to solve, you know, somebody’s kid don’t come home, that’s rough. But we’ll be here with you, we’ll be here with you, that’s all we can promise, we’ll be here with you,” said Turral.

The community has begun setting up a vigil in remembrance of the victims.

We have continued to reach out to the Beaufort County Sherriff’s Office who said there is no threat to the community. We haven’t received any other updates at this point.

Stick with WTOC as we continue to follow this investigation and update you with any information as it comes out to us.