Trigger Warning: This article mentions details about racial discrimination and violence.
Racial discrimination is not something new around the globe, and in a country like America. It’s rooted deep within the system, even today, after many, many years of protests, movements, and laws. Back on July 17, in South Carolina, a Black man who survived a hate-motivated shooting is calling on the state to pass a long-overdue hate crime law, following a shocking attack that left him heartbroken and shocked.
Jarvis McKenzie was waiting for his early morning ride to work while jogging when he was suddenly targeted. Around 6 a.m., a white man, later identified as Jonathan Felkel, allegedly drove up, pointed a rifle at him, and fired all while shouting, “Keep running, boy!”
As per Atlanta Black Star, footage captured Felkel parking near a gated community, spotting McKenzie, and firing a single shot. Felkel was arrested and charged with assault, hate intimidation, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
According to police reports, Felkel confessed his intentions during questioning. “It was a Black man in a white shirt… I saw him there and he was by himself… I was going to shoot at him,” he reportedly told investigators. Meanwhile, for Jarvis McKenzie, the victim is reportedly suffering from the aftermath of the shocking event and is completely traumatized by it.
“It’s heartbreaking. I feel like I’m being watched or followed every time I step outside,” he said. “That day changed everything.” McKenzie said. Consequently, he and Felkel lived in the same gated neighborhood. For over a year, McKenzie stood at the entrance each morning at 5:30 a.m. to wait for a carpool ride.
Jonathan Felkel was arrested July 24, 2025, charged with assault/battery, weapon possession during violent crime, and Richland County’s hate intimidation ordinance (first such charge). Bond set at $1M cash plus $1,087.50 on July 25. As of July 27, the case is ongoing with no… https://t.co/k0ouMGZkeF
— OG BARBIE JOHNSON (@TheHurricaneDu) July 28, 2025
However, after the shooting, the same wait now feels like one with extreme anxiety, as he chose to speak to the media about it. Furthermore, this particular case adds to numerous hate-related crimes in the state, which highlights the lack of proper hate crime laws despite multiple failed attempts to pass legislation in the general assembly.
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Calls for legislation first intensified in 2015, after white supremacist Dylann Roof murdered nine Black churchgoers at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. The attempts were again made in 2021 after the racial reckoning of 2020, but the measure has since been stopped in the Senate. But even after such a long time, nothing has changed. A proper bill for hate crimes would let abusers like Jonathan Felkel pay the price for their deeds.
South Carolina is one of two states, along with Wyoming, that don’t have their own hate crime laws. Attorney Tyler Bailey, who is representing McKenzie, said the current lack of a state law gives the abusers and assailants a better chance to continue committing crimes and making the lives of innocent people like his client’s difficult.
Talking to the outlet, Bailey quoted, “It tells racists that if they want to commit hate crimes, they can do it here with minimal consequences.” A proper hate crime bill would allow prosecutors to seek extended penalties in racial and gender related cases, including extended prison time for the accused.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Felkel, who is now detained, could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all charges. McKenzie and his legal team continue urging lawmakers to act before another case hits the headlines and new panic unfolds.
