3 injured in Sheldon club shooting

Two Sheldon men were flown to trauma centers after being shot Tuesday night at a Sheldon nightclub, according to authorities.

Nathaniel Blue, 50, and Lewis Sumpter, 55, were taken by helicopter to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, respectively, with gunshot wounds suffered at Johnny Blue's nightclub, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were called to the Johnson Road club at about 10:30 p.m. for reports of shots fired. There they found Blue and were told that two other gunshot victims, Sumpter and 29-year-old William Sumpter, had gone to the Burton Fire District station on Paige Point Road for help.

Witnesses were able to provide investigators with little detail as to what led to the shooting, but several witnesses said they saw two or three vehicles speeding away immediately after the shooting.

Blue's father is the nightclub's owner, according to the Sheriff's Office.

William Sumpter identified Lewis Sumpter as his uncle, the Sheriff's Office said.

A spokesman for MUSC refused to release any information on Blue's condition, and a call to Savannah Memorial was not returned. William Sumpter was transported by Beaufort County EMS to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released on Wednesday.

The Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Investigator John Kelleher at 843-470-3217 or main dispatch at 843-524-2777.