SC man to spend 9 years in prison for shooting at Black neighbor

The judge opted for a sentence near the maximum amount of prison time in hopes of deterring other people from committing similar crimes.

By: Skylar Laird

Outlets: South Carolina Daily Gazette

Published: July 16, 2026

Words: 1,046

Last Updated: 5 days, 2 hours ago

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COLUMBIA — A white Columbia man will spend nine years in prison for shooting a gun in the air to frighten a Black man solely because of his race, a judge decided Thursday.

Jonathan Felkel pleaded guilty in March to a federal civil rights charge involving housing discrimination.

The decision from U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis came almost exactly a year after Felkel was arrested on the federal hate crime. After striking a …

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