Security guard shoots, kills armed person at Jasper County club, officials say
One person is dead after being shot by a security guard at a Jasper County nightclub early Sunday morning, authorities said.
Jasper County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about a shooting at Club Karma just after 4 a.m., Sgt. Jake Higgins said. Responding officers found a person on the ground in the parking lot with an apparent gunshot wound.
That person was taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, where they died, Higgins said. Investigators learned the person was shot by an armed private security guard, Higgins said.
Because the shooting involved a security guard, the investigation was turned over to the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.
The person shot by the security guard was armed, SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby said Sunday. Officials have not released the person’s name pending notifying next of kin, Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls said.
Whether the person fired their weapon before being shot is under investigation, Crosby said.
The status of state certifications required by the guard and the company that employed the guard will be part of the investigation, Crosby said.
Nobody else was injured in the shooting, he said.
Club Karma is on Speedway Boulevard near the Georgia state line. Social media posts indicated the venue had played host to a concert on Saturday night.
A phone message left at a number for the club wasn’t returned Sunday afternoon. A person involved with setting up the show declined to comment when reached by phone Sunday.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 10:51 AM.
