A dispute between two groups outside a lounge in rural South Carolina escalated to gunfire on a Saturday night, leaving one young man dead and two others wounded. Noah Wheeler, a 21-year-old man from Kingstree, South Carolina, lost his life in the shooting on October 24, 2026. His family has deep roots in the Kingstree and Gable communities.
The night of the shooting unfolded in the Gable community, a small unincorporated area in Clarendon County.
At about 11:34 p.m., deputies from the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Big Daddy’s Lounge in the 12000 block of Highway 301 after receiving reports of gunfire. When they arrived, they discovered a chaotic scene outside the establishment.
According to a preliminary investigation, an argument had broken out between two groups of men. The confrontation turned violent, and shots were fired. Deputies found two men suffering from gunshot wounds. One was Noah Wheeler. The other was identified as 29-year-old Malik Wheeler, also of Kingstree. Both were rushed to local hospitals for emergency medical care. Noah was taken to McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries. Malik was transported to McLeod Health Clarendon in Manning, where he was treated for non-fatal wounds and later released.
A third man, 36-year-old Moses McClinton of Sumter, was also injured in the shooting. He did not wait for first responders and instead called 911 to report that he had been shot and was driving himself to the hospital. He was also treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released. The relationship between the three victims has not been publicly disclosed by authorities.
The Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into Noah Wheeler's death. Investigators have been working to piece together the events that led to the fatal confrontation and to identify all individuals who were involved in the dispute and the subsequent shooting. As of late October 2026, authorities had not announced any arrests or named any suspects in the case. Detectives were actively interviewing potential witnesses and seeking information from the public to help move the investigation forward.
The community of Gable is a small, rural area in the central part of South Carolina, situated between Sumter and Manning. The lounge where the shooting occurred is a known local gathering spot along a main highway that runs through the state. The sudden violence left the community unsettled and a family grieving the loss of a young man just at the start of his adult life.
The investigation into the homicide of Noah Wheeler remains active and ongoing. The Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office has urged anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have information that could assist investigators to come forward. They have provided two contact numbers for tips: the main office line at 803-435-4414 and a dedicated tip line at 803-433-8477. Callers can choose to remain anonymous.
