Nationwide — Jonathan Andrew Felkel, a 34-year-old African American man from South Carolina, has been sentenced to 9 years in federal prison after admitting he shot at a Black neighbor because of his race. Investigators said Felkel told them he had been driving around looking for “Black criminals” before the 2024 attack.
The shooting happened on July 17, 2024, in Richland County when Felkel encountered Jarvis McKenzie, who was preparing to leave for work. McKenzie’s attorney, Tyler Bailey, said Felkel yelled a racial slur and fired a rifle in McKenzie’s direction.
According to Atlanta Black Star, investigators said Felkel admitted he was searching for “Black criminals” when he saw McKenzie. He allegedly shouted, “You better run, boy,” before firing the weapon and driving away.
Prosecutors said Felkel wanted McKenzie to feel he needed to “leave” and “not be around this area.” McKenzie was not physically hurt, but he said the shooting changed how he felt about the neighborhood he once considered a safe place for his family.
“Being that it happened in my neighborhood, that was a safe place for me and my family to call home, and it’s not there no more,” McKenzie said after Felkel’s sentencing. “He took that away from us.”
Felkel pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges and other assault-related offenses. His attorney argued that mental health issues and prescription drug abuse contributed to his actions.
Bailey said McKenzie understood the seriousness of Felkel’s words because of the history of racial threats faced by Black people. “We’ve been Black a long time, so we know what that means when someone says, ‘You better run boy,’” Bailey said.
Felkel still faces state charges, including assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and hate intimidation. South Carolina officials said racially motivated violence would not be tolerated.
Felkel became the first person federally prosecuted and sentenced under Richland County’s Hate Crime Ordinance, which was passed in 2025 to address bias-motivated crimes.