Trial to begin for man accused in the 2020 Lavish Lounge Fourth of July shooting

The trial for a man charged in a mass shooting at a Greenville nightclub is set to start Monday. 

In the early morning of a 2020 Fourth of July concert, investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office said Jarquez Kezavion Cooper, 24, of Athens, Ga., fired shots into a crowd of hundreds at the Lavish Lounge. Two people were killed and seven were struck by gunfire.  

Cooper was alleged to be a part of Atlanta-based rapper Foogiano’s crew and fired the shots during the rapper’s performance following a gang dispute. Mykala Bell, 23, a concert-goer, and Clarence Sterling Johnson Jr., 51, who worked security, died.  

The seven injured victims survived the shooting. The ages of those shot ranged from 21 to 51. 

A jury of 12 will decide Cooper's fate.

Pre-trial motions will begin Monday morning. Cooper will plead not guilty and is ready for his day in court, said his Columbia-based attorney Bakari Sellers of the Strom law firm.  

“Mr. Cooper has maintained his innocence throughout this matter,” Sellers said. “We look forward to a fair jury, and a fair judge. He’s been sitting for a while, and we believe that the investigation was sloppy at best. We'll see what the jury says at the end of next week”. 

Doug Richardson and Britni McCall of the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office are the prosecutors.  The solicitor's office declined to comment before the start of the trial.

The roster meeting will take place Monday morning to determine which judge will preside over the trial and the courtroom. 

Cooper was arrested in Georgia on July 9, 2020. He was extradited back to South Carolina, booked into the Greenville County Detention Center, and charged with two counts of murder, seven counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.  

According to warrants, Cooper brandished a firearm and then recklessly fired into the crowd.  He was the only person arrested in connection with the incident.

More:Rapper Foogiano faces federal indictment in Greenville after Lavish Lounge mass shooting

Bell was near the stage when she was hit by the gunfire. Her aunt Barbara Jenkins, told the Greenville News after the shooting that Bell was just about to move into a new apartment and was celebrating that with a holiday weekend night out.

Clarence Sterling Johnson Jr. was armed as the venue’s security but never fired his gun.