A late-night argument at S. Bar and Grill on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia, South Carolina, ended in fatal violence on the morning of Friday, June 6, 2025. Employee Wendell Frazier Sholar, 33, was shot after an argument between patrons escalated into a physical altercation just after midnight. Columbia Police officers nearby responded to the disturbance and arrived on scene as the shooting occurred.

Officers and emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures; Sholar was taken to a local hospital and later died of his injuries. Bernard Jackson Jr., 53, was detained at the scene and charged with manslaughter and possession of a weapon during a violent crime; he is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Sholar’s family has expressed devastation and questioned why the charge is manslaughter rather than murder.

Are there witnesses who were in the parking lot that night or who can shed light on how the dispute escalated?