Mass shooting victim files lawsuit against St. Helena bar operator, arrested suspect
A woman who was shot in the back during October’s mass shooting at a St. Helena Island restaurant is suing the bar operator and property owners for negligence, citing the venue’s reportedly inadequate security and “known history of violence.”
Attorneys for Beaufort woman Quinetta Clark, 32, filed the premises liability case Monday in Beaufort County civil court.
Court documents say Clark attended the Oct. 11 alumni tailgate event at Willie’s Bar and Grill. As she tried to leave the “crowded premises” early the following morning, several shooters unleashed a spray of gunfire that killed four people and injured 15 others.
Clark was one of the 15 who were hurt. A bullet struck her in the back and sent her to the hospital, according to the lawsuit.
Named as defendants are Willie Turral, who rented the space and operated the bar; James and Bernice Wright, who owned the property at the time of the shooting; Anferny Freeman, who in November was charged with four counts of murder in connection to the shooting; and 10 “John Does” as stand-ins for other shooting suspects or entities who “contributed” to the event.
What’s in the lawsuit?
The lawsuit accuses Willie’s Bar and Grill of violating liquor laws by serving alcohol to the accused assailants and allowing them to become intoxicated, which reportedly contributed to the deadly gunfire. It also alleges Turral, who operated the bar, failed to properly hire, train and supervise his staff, “especially” the bartender and security.
The court documents claim that Turral and the landowners are to blame for not anticipating the shooting given the business’ “known history of violence.” Police have frequently responded to calls at the building, the suit says.
It’s far from the first time the bar’s reputation has been called into question. Just days after the shooting, Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner pushed for the revocation of Turral’s business and liquor licenses, citing hundreds of calls for service at the location over a period of years.
Turral initially said he would fight to keep his restaurant open but eventually announced plans to transform the space into an economic development center.
Helping victims of St. Helena mass shooting
Collin H. Davidson, a Bluffton-based attorney who represents Clark, said his office was working to help the victims of the “senseless” crime that shook St. Helena.
“I’m from Beaufort, and my mom and dad live in St. Helena, and I hate to see this kind of thing,” Davidson said. “Where it happened, Frogmore, that’s such a great little community.”
Davidson said he grew up and went to school alongside one of the four shooting victims who died, 33-year-old Sherrod Smalls.
“We all see shootings in the news, and it’s especially difficult to see it hit so close to home,” he said. “This is where we live.”
