Sheriff: Man charged with murder in St. Helena shooting case. One victim fired weapon
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After more than five weeks, one person has been charged in connection with the mass shooting that killed four people on St. Helena Island, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner announced in a press conference Friday morning.
Anferny Devon Freeman, 27, of St. Helena, was charged with four counts of murder, aggravated breach of peace and a felony gun possession charge. He was served these warrants while already in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
Tanner said investigators know that three shooters were involved in the Oct. 12 incident. One of those shooters, he said, was one of the deceased: 22-year-old Beaufort man Kashawn “KK” Smalls-Glaze.
Four people were killed and 15 others shot when gunfire erupted outside Willie’s Bar and Grill after an alumni event around 1 a.m., just before last call.
The day after the shooting, Freeman was charged with possession of a machine gun and aggravated breach of peace, offenses stemming from a September 2024 incident, Tanner said.
Freeman bonded out of jail but was later rebooked after a bond revocation hearing, remaining in the Beaufort County Detention Center until he was served warrants related to the mass shooting on Thursday.
The sheriff said the shooting arose from “bad blood” between Glaze and Freeman, and that the two had a brief encounter prior to the incident that was “not very friendly.”
Freeman was shot during the gunfight and was given a ride by his girlfriend to Coastal Carolina Hospital with a “through-and-through” shot to the stomach, Tanner said. He was later transferred to Savannah’s Memorial Health University Medical Center.
Tanner would not say exactly how Freeman was found to be connected to the murders but cited “a lot of connectivity” through witness information and evidence. He said investigators had three weapons but would not specify their type.
All 15 gunshot victims had been released from the hospital as of Friday, the sheriff said. That number was made up of all victims at Beaufort Memorial Hospital and did not include Freeman.
Because his murder charges carry the possibility of a life sentence, Freeman’s bond would need to be set in Beaufort County Circuit Court, which is scheduled to reconvene Monday.
Willie Turral, owner of Willie’s Bar and Grill, appeared at the Friday morning briefing, pressing Tanner about his restaurant receiving an emergency revocation of its business license. Tanner responded by calling Willie’s a “nuisance location.” His personnel made a search for calls for service at the business and found 400 since 2014, the sheriff said.
“The bottom line is we’re going to put you out of business, if that’s what you want me to say,” Tanner told Turral during a heated exchange. “That’s exactly what our efforts are.”
Right after the shooting, Turral insisted that those responsible were not part of the reunion event.
“None of them were patrons of the building,” Turral said of the person or persons who fired the shots. “They were terrorists who came into a crowded lot of people and opened fire.”
Police believed multiple shooters in the parking lot had been involved in a gunfight, which was fueled by an “ongoing feud,” Tanner said in the first press conference held three days after the shooting.
In the days following the shooting, Beaufort County police sent firearm-related evidence to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for analysis. In the last week, Tanner said the department was waiting for key evidence from SLED before bringing charges. Investigators are also receiving assistance from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The shooting victims were identified as Amos Gary, a 54-year-old man from St. Helena; A’shan’tek Milledge, a 22-year-old woman from Burton; Chiraad “Roddi” Smalls, a 33-year-old man from Beaufort; and Smalls-Glaze, 22, of Beaufort.
Speaking to reporters Friday morning, Tanner spoke about his claims at the previous press conference that he could not guarantee whether residents were safe in Beaufort County as the shooting suspects ran free.
“Beaufort County is a safe county, is a safe community. We’re well below the national average in crime,” the sheriff said, urging residents to speak up as police search for the third shooting suspect. “But the community is not totally safe unless the community stands up and says, ‘I don’t want crime at my doorstep.’”
This story was originally published November 14, 2025 at 10:20 AM.
