In the early morning hours of a summer Saturday in Irmo, South Carolina, a young woman’s life was tragically cut short. Twenty-two-year-old Shirley McKenzie, a female, was inside the Cockpit Bar & Grill on Berryhill Road on June 7, 2014, when violence erupted. At approximately 4:32 a.m., deputies from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department received a call about a shooting at the establishment.
When they arrived, they found Shirley McKenzie lying on the floor of the bar.
An investigation into her death determined that she had been shot once in the torso. The Lexington County Coroner confirmed that this single gunshot wound was the cause of her death. At the time, investigators learned that a number of other people were present inside the bar when the fatal shot was fired. Law enforcement officials urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward and contact CrimeStoppers.
The shooting at the Cockpit Bar & Grill that claimed Shirley McKenzie's life was the second fatal shooting to occur at the establishment that year. In the days and months that followed, the Lexington County Sheriff's Department continued to seek answers and appealed to the public for assistance in solving the case. However, despite the presence of witnesses, no suspects were ever publicly identified, and no arrests have been announced in connection with her murder.
Years have passed since Shirley McKenzie was killed, and her case has grown cold. The initial pleas for information have not led to a resolution, leaving her family and the community without answers. The search for the person or persons responsible for her untimely death remains officially open, a painful and unresolved chapter in the town of Irmo.
