By Delayna Earley
The Island News
A Beaufort County woman injured during October’s mass shooting at a St. Helena Island bar has filed a civil lawsuit alleging negligent security, unlawful alcohol service and unsafe conditions at a business with a documented history of violence.
The lawsuit was filed Monday, Dec. 22 in Beaufort County Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Quinetta Clark, 32, a Beaufort County resident who was shot in the back during the incident. The complaint demands a jury trial and seeks compensatory and punitive damages
According to the filing, Clark was attending an alumni tailgate event for a local high school on Oct. 12 at Willie’s Breakfast Bar and Grill on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
As she attempted to leave the crowded venue, a violent altercation escalated and multiple individuals opened fire, killing four people and injuring several others
Clark was among those wounded and was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to her back, the lawsuit states.
The filing notes it remains unclear whether the bullet that struck Clark was fired by a patron or an employee, but alleges the shooting occurred in an environment controlled by the defendants and created a foreseeable risk of serious harm to patrons.
Named as defendants are Willie Turral, individually and through Willie Turral Food Services LLC, which operated the bar; James and Bernice Wright, who owned the property at the time; Anferny Freeman, who has been charged with four counts of murder in connection with the shooting; and 10 unidentified defendants described as additional individuals or entities alleged to have contributed to the violence.
The lawsuit alleges the bar violated South Carolina alcohol laws by serving alcohol to individuals who later took part in the shooting and allowing them to become intoxicated.
It further claims the operator failed to properly hire, train and supervise staff, including bartenders and security, despite a known history of criminal activity and frequent law enforcement responses to the location.
Court filings also accuse the bar operator and property owners of failing to provide adequate security, perform crowd control or intervene in escalating behavior, arguing the shooting was foreseeable given prior incidents at the property.
In the days after the attack, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner called for the revocation of the bar’s business and liquor licenses, citing hundreds of calls for service to the location.
Turral initially said he planned to contest the action but later announced plans to repurpose the building for economic development.
Clark alleges she has suffered physical injuries, emotional distress, lost wages and loss of enjoyment of life, and may face permanent impairment.
The lawsuit seeks damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering and lost income, as well as punitive damages, alleging reckless and willful disregard for public safety.
Clark is represented by Bluffton attorney Collin H. Davidson, who said his office is working to support victims of what he described as a senseless act of violence.
Originally from Beaufort, Davidson told other news outlets that it’s heartbreaking to see something like this happen in a community like Frogmore.
Davidson said he knew one of the four victims killed in the shooting, 33-year-old Sherrod Smalls, while growing up.
He said that despite seeing shootings in the news all the time, when something like this happens where you live and to people you know, it is different.
The civil case is separate from the ongoing criminal proceedings tied to the shooting.
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.
