BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – Beaufort County’s sheriff says one man has been charged so far in a mass shooting last month that left 19 wounded, four of whom died.
Anferny Freeman is charged with four counts of murder, one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and one count of aggravated breach of peace, according to Beaufort County jail records.
Sheriff P.J. Tanner said additional charges are expected, stressing that the investigation into the shooting is not over.
Anferny Devon Freeman, 27, of Saint Helena Island, is charged with four counts of murder in the Oct. 12 mass shooting at Willie’s Bar and Grill.(Beaufort County Detention Center)
“We know we have three shooters in that incident, and we’ve recovered evidence that allows us to say that we have three people that discharged weapons at that scene,” he said.
Tanner said one of the other two shooters was killed in the shooting and he identified that person as Kashawn Glaze, 22, of Beaufort.
Tanner said days after the shooting that it was the result of a feud.
“We know there were some differences between victim Glaze and defendant Freeman, and these differences have accumulated over a year,” he said.
Tanner said investigators know there was a brief encounter between Freeman and Glaze before the shooting began.
He said his deputies are still in the interview phase of the investigation.
The shooting happened on Oct. 12 just before 1 a.m. at Willie’s Bar and Grill on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on St. Helena Island.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office identified the other three victims as Sherrod Smalls, 33, of Beaufort; A’shan’tek Milledge, 22, of Burton; and Amos Gary, 54, of St. Helena Island.
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At the scene, deputies said they found a large group of people, some of whom had been shot. Deputies learned that hundreds of people were at the scene when the shooting happened, many for an unofficial alumni event for previous Battery Creek High School students. Several victims and witnesses ran to nearby businesses and properties to find shelter from the gunshots, deputies said.
Tanner described the scene as horrific.
The FBI is aiding the sheriff’s office by enhancing the video for them and SLED is also taking part in analyzing guns, ammunition, and shell casings.
Deputies are also working on evidence to arrest and charge the people involved in the incident.
Tanner said days after the shooting that deputies might have an idea of who is involved, but as of right now, no witnesses have come forward to confirm any details.
There has been no word so far on any arrests in the case.
