SC man pleads guilty to federal hate crime for shooting at a Black neighbor

By: Jessica Holdman

Outlets: South Carolina Daily Gazette

Published: March 19, 2026

Words: 673

Last Updated: 1 day, 13 hours ago

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COLUMBIA — A white Richland County man publicly admitted Thursday shooting into the air to scare a Black man at the entrance of their subdivision because of his race.

Jonathan Felkel, 34, pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime in Columbia before U.S. District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis.

Felkel’s plea to the civil rights violation came eight months after his arrest. He’s been in jail ever since.

He faces up to 10 years …

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