BEAUFORT COUNTY SHERIFF P-J TANNER NOW HAS A SUSPECT IN THAT MASS SHOOTING IN ST. HELENA A LITTLE MORE THAN A MONTH AGO, BUT HE ALSO HAS A LOT OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS AS HE TRIES TO CLEAN UP THE TRAGEDY AT WILLIE’S BAR AND GRILL BACK IN MID-OCTOBER. 27-YEAR-OLD ANFERNY DEVON FREEMAN OF ST. HELENA HAS BEEN CHRGED WITH FOUR COUNTS OF MURDER AND OTHER GUN CHARGES AND MORE ARRESTS ARE EXPECTED. TANNER SAYS ONE OF THE VICTIMS, 22-YEAR-OLD KASHWAN SMALLS-GLAZE, WAS ALSO ONE OF THE TWO OTHER SHOOTERS DURING THE GUNFIGHT THAT INJURED MORE THAN A DOZEN PEOPLE IN AN AFTER-PARTY FOLLOWING BATTERY CREEK’S HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING. TANNER SAYS FREEMAN AND SMALLS-GLAZE HAD A LONG-STANDING FEUD. FORENSIC TESTS THAT HAVE TAKEN WEEKS TO COMPLETE SHOW BULLETS FROM FREEMAN’S GUN ARE LINKED TO ALL THE VICTIMS. SHERIFF TANNER ALSO GOT INTO A VERBAL TUSSLE WITH BAR OWNER WILLIE TURRAL, WHO CONFRONTED TANNER OVER THE SHERIFF’S EFFORTS TO REVOKE THE BAR’S LIQUOR LICENSE, TANNER SAYING HIS BOTTOM LINE WAS TO PUT TURRAL’S BAR OUT OF BUSINESS. A HEARING ON THAT REVOKED LIQUOR LICENSE IS MONDAY IN COLUMBIA.
MEANWHILE, OVER THE WEEKEND, COMMUNITY MEMBERS GATHERED AT A ST. HELENA CHURCH TO ADDRESS THE ONGOING VIOLENCE, SHARING THEIR STORIES OF UNSOLVED HOMICIDES. ONE ATTENDEE TELLING WTOC THAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THAT IF YOU’RE NOT SPEAKING UP, YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM, NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION. COMMUNITY LEADERS WERE ALSO STUNNED TO HEAR THAT HERE ARE OVER 50 UNSOLVED MURDER CASES IN THAT PART OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, DOUBLE WHAT THEY THOUGHT.
MORE THAN 130 FURLOUGHED CIVILIANS WHO WORK AT THE PARRIS ISLAND MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT ARE ALREADY BACK TO WORK AND WILL GET THEIR SIX WEEKS OF BACK PAY FOLLOWING THE END OF THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS AT PARRIS ISLAND. SERVICE MEMBERS WERE PAID DURING THE SHUTDOWN AND, IN THE WORDS OF THE PARRIS ISLAND SPOKESMAN, “WE CONTINUED TO MAKE MARINES ON-TIME AND CONTINUED TO GRADUATE THEM WITHOUT ISSUE.’ M-C-A-S BEAUFORT WAS ALSO IMPACTED BY THE SHUTDOWN, OFFICIALS THERE SAYING A THIRD OF THE BASE’S CIVILIAN WORKFORCE HAD BEEN FURLOUGHED AND ALL ARE BACK AT WORK.
EXECUTIONS IN SOUTH CAROLINA CONTINUE WITH THE FIRING SQUAD SHOOTING OF 44-YEAR-OLD STEPHEN BRYANT AT A STATE PRISON IN COLUMBIA LATE LAST WEEK. BRYANT IS THE SEVENTH DEATH ROW INMATE EXECUTED SINCE LAST OCTOBER, THE THIRD BY FIRING SQUAD, BUT THE FIRST WHO HAD ACTUALLY PLEADED GUILTY TO HIS CRIMES FOR KILLING WILLARD TIETJEN OF SUMTER DURING AN 8-DAY CRIME SPREE BACK IN 2004 THAT INCLUDED TWO OTHER MURDERS HE CONFESSED TO. HIS LAWYERS HAD ARGUED THAT HE SUFFERED FROM FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME AND P-T-S-D AND ALSO SUFFERED SEXUAL ABUSE AS A CHILD.