By Delayna Earley and Mike McCombs
The Island News
Editor’s note: By this newspaper’s publication date, the details of this story may have changed significantly. We will continue to update this story on YourIslandNews.com.
Also, any family or friends of victims of this tragedy who would like to share the stories of their loved one, or anybody who experienced this event first-hand who would like to speak about it can reach out to us at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
A St. Helena man who sources have told The Island News is connected to the mass shooting on Oct. 12 that left four dead and 16 others injured is back in jail after his bond was revoked.
According to previous reporting by The Island News, 27-year-old Anferney Devon Freeman was bonded out on Tuesday, Oct. 14, after he was arrested by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and charged with breach of peace, aggravated in nature; and unlawful storage or possession of a machine gun or a sawed-off shot gun or rifle in an unrelated 2024 case.
At the time, BCSO spokesperson Lt. Daniel Allen would not confirm or deny that Freeman was a person of interest in the Oct. 12 shooting, but sources close to law enforcement told The Island News that authorities believe that he is tied to the case because “several people identified Freeman that night at the scene.”
Freeman was rebooked into the Beaufort County Detention Center around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21, his 27th birthday, after a motion to have his bond revoked, not for last week’s charges, but on a March 2023 charge of failure to stop for a blue light, first offense, as a result of his two most recent charges.
As of Tuesday, Oct. 21, there have been no arrests or charges filed that are actually in connection with the shooting that happened in the early morning hours at Willie’s Bar and Grill on St. Helena Island.
What we know
BCSO Sheriff P.J. Tanner held a press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 13, where he revealed some information, but told those in attendance that at this point there is not a lot that can be shared because investigators are still combing the scene for evidence and interviewing witnesses.
Tanner said that investigators recovered shell casings and several guns that they were sending off to be analyzed by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Also, he revealed that the incident seemed to be the result of a previous feud between several individuals present at the St. Helena bar.
According to Tanner, there were as many as 700 people in and around the bar when the shooting began and many in attendance were there for an after party following a Battery Creek High School reunion event.
Tanner said that he could not be specific about the number of shooters, but there were at least two or more people shooting weapons when gunfire broke out.
Additionally, Tanner said that while there was a very large crowd of people there that night, not one of the people they had talked to was able to definitively tell them who the shooters were.
Community help
The Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the case and released a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 21, saying that there is no new information to release regarding the case, but they included a plea for members of the community to come forward with any information that they have about the incident.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has set up a website for digital media tips specifically for this shooting.
Anyone with cellphone video or other multimedia recordings of the St. Helena shooting are encouraged to upload the media to www.fbi.gov/sthelenamassshooting.
During the press conference, Tanner said that they often have a hard time getting members of the community to submit anonymous tips to the Crime Stoppers of Beaufort County tip line because of mistrust that it is truly anonymous and the belief that the information will be tracked back to them somehow, which he says is not the case.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Beaufort County via the P3 Tips app on any mobile device, online at tipsbft.com or by calling 844-TIPS-BFT (844-847-7238).
BCSO is asking for any information beyond digital media to be submitted to the lead BCSO investigator for this case, Master Sgt. Duncan at 843-255-3418 or email him at TDuncan@BCGov.net.
“While we continue to keep all the victims, their families and everyone affected by this horrific shooting in our thoughts,” said the BCSO press release, “we also continue to urge all who have information to use the…resources to help bring closure to this case.”
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
