On the morning of January 19, 2019, Montreal Jordan McMullins, a 23-year-old Black man from Gaffney, South Carolina, was shot during an altercation at the Sugar Shack Nightclub on Wilcox Avenue. The shooting occurred shortly before 3:30 a.m.; McMullins was one of five people struck. He was taken to Spartanburg Medical Center and died during surgery. Four other victims — a 29-year-old man and three women aged 31, 32, and 38 — were injured and survived.

Authorities identified 36-year-old Kenyon Corneluies Hopper of Shelby, North Carolina, as a primary suspect. Hopper was arrested in Shelby and extradited to Cherokee County on one murder charge in connection with McMullins’ death and four counts of attempted murder for the injured victims. Investigators said they believed Hopper did not act alone and were seeking additional people who may have been involved.

The nightclub was reported to have a recent history of violent incidents, lacked a proper liquor license, and had been the subject of a Sheriff’s warning about security. The Sheriff said efforts would be made to have the club declared a public nuisance. If anyone has information about what happened that night or about people who may have been involved, please share what is known.