Bluffton Ross worker charged after dispute with customer ended in gunfire
An employee at Bluffton’s Ross Dress for Less was arrested after a dispute with a customer ended in mutual gunfire outside the store, police say.
Khora Coke, 20, of Bluffton, was charged Thursday morning with aggravated breach of peace and pointing and presenting firearms at a person, according to inmate records.
Police planned to bring the same charges against the male customer for the Sept. 4 incident, according to Lt. Daniel Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses inside the store on Malphrus Road said the customer became “aggravated” as he waited for assistance at a watch display case around 3 p.m. that afternoon. He continued making comments expressing his frustration as he paid for his items and left the store, according to a police report.
Coke, who had been arguing with the customer, retrieved a firearm and met the male in the parking lot, Allen said. The duo allegedly pointed their guns at each other and both fired shots into the air. No injuries were reported.
As of Thursday afternoon, Coke remained in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center. Information on her bond was not yet available through court records.
Pointing and presenting a firearm is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison under South Carolina law.
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM.
