Christopher Lott Jr., 35, was at McCary’s Bar and Grill on Bush River Road in Columbia, South Carolina, in the early morning hours of August 22, 2019, when gunfire tore through the closed front door of the crowded bar. Surveillance video shows a man previously banned from the establishment, Ernest Condre Bethel, arrive armed, try to enter, be pushed back outside, then fire about a dozen shots through the door. Lott was struck and later died of multiple gunshot wounds during surgery at a local hospital; another patron, 29-year-old Tolliver Wise, was killed at the scene. Two other men, Cameron Jenkins and Gregory Martin, suffered life-threatening injuries but survived.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department identified and apprehended Bethel and charged him with two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one weapons offense. The trial opened April 17, 2023; on April 20 a jury found him guilty on all charges and Judge Clifton Newman imposed a total sentence of 55 years.

If anyone was at McCary’s that night or has information about what happened immediately before the shooting, please share what you know.