Vista shooting suspect ‘had a promising future,’ record label CEO says

Just hours before John Earl Bates Jr. is accused of shooting into a crowd leaving a Vista nightclub, the CEO of his record label told a judge that Bates was an up-and-coming artist who “had a promising future.”

Bates, 28, is charged with seven counts of attempted murder in an early Saturday shooting in Columbia’s popular Vista district that injured eight. On Friday – one day before the shooting – Bates was in court for a hearing to revoke his probation on an assault charge. Circuit Court Judge Donald Hocker ruled that Bates could continue on probation and stay out of jail.

“I wanted to step in front of the judge and tell him (Bates) had a promising future,” said Jervonta Walker, CEO of Columbia-based Five Star Empire record label, which signed Bates in 2016. “We were giving him an opportunity to chase his dream. He was doing well. We didn’t have any problems with him.”

The mayhem in the Vista was spurred by music industry disputes, according to Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. Maleik Houseal, 22, is accused of firing during the shooting, too, telling authorities he shot in self-defense. Bates, Houseal and two others have been charged so far, and Columbia police say more arrests are possible.

Bates pleaded guilty to an assault charge in 2016 but wasn’t given prison time. He ended up in court Friday because he violated the terms of his probation by not paying required fees, not checking in regularly with his probation agent and not reporting a May conviction in Newberry, according to the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.

Some of Bates’ problems stemmed from a two-month-long tour of performances in North Carolina and South Carolina last fall, Walker said. “He wasn’t updating them to let (them) know we had events to do,” Walker said.

Probation and Parole spokesman Pete O’Boyle said people on probation are required to ask for permission before leaving the state. It was unclear Tuesday if Bates had sought permission to travel to his performances in North Carolina.

Bates, whose stage name is “Hun Dunn,” was among those performing at the Empire Supper Club in the early hours of Saturday, said Walker.

“I called him to make sure he was all right,” Walker said, adding that Bates gave no indication he was involved in the shooting. About two hours later, Walker said, Bates called and said he had been shot in the foot at Vault, a club on Broad River Road, and was on his way to a hospital.

Richland County deputies on patrol heard two series of gunshots in the 3100 block of Broad River Road around 4:45 a.m. Saturday and pursued a Chevrolet truck to Huffstetler Drive, where two men fled on foot, sheriff’s officials said Tuesday. The driver and a passenger were arrested, and deputies found several containers of marijuana in the truck, which had bullet holes and multiple shell casings inside.

Authorities are still searching for the two who fled, one of whom is believed to be the Vault shooter, Lott said Tuesday, declining to comment on whether the two men who were arrested are cooperating with investigators.

Walker said Lott’s assertion that a music-industry dispute was behind the shootings is “far-fetched.”

“I know 110 percent that Hun Dunn hasn’t done any music beefing with anybody else,” he said. And he said he had not heard of Houseal before the shooting.

Lott said Tuesday that the sheriff’s department stands by what the investigation has revealed about the conflict.

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Vista shooting suspect ‘had a promising future,’ record label CEO says."