In the early hours of August 22, 2019, a normal night out in Columbia, South Carolina, turned into a scene of tragedy and violence that would claim the life of 29-year-old Tolliver Wise. The incident unfolded at McCary's Bar and Grill on Bush River Road, a local establishment that would become the backdrop for a senseless act of aggression. That evening, a man who had been previously banned from the premises, Ernest Condre Bethel, attempted to re-enter the bar.
When staff and patrons intervened to remove him, a confrontation ensued.
Once outside the establishment, Bethel, armed with a pistol, fired multiple shots through the closed front door into the bar. The hail of bullets struck four people, creating a chaotic and horrifying scene. Tolliver Wise was fatally wounded and died at the scene. Another man, 36-year-old Christopher Lott Jr., was also struck and later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. Two other individuals, Cameron Jenkins and Gregory Martin, sustained serious injuries but survived the attack.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department quickly launched an investigation and identified Ernest Condre Bethel, then 26, as the sole suspect. A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of murder, attempted murder, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. Bethel fled the area but was apprehended in Thomasville, North Carolina, on August 30, 2019, after a police pursuit that ended in a car crash. He was subsequently extradited back to South Carolina to face justice.
In April 2023, Ernest Bethel stood trial for the murders of Tolliver Wise and Christopher Lott Jr., and the attempted murders of the two other victims. The prosecution presented evidence, including surveillance footage from the bar that captured the entire incident. After a trial, a Richland County jury found Bethel guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to a total of 55 years in prison for his actions that night, bringing a measure of closure to the families of the victims and the community shaken by the violent loss of two of its members.
