Man accidentally shot and killed by SC gun store owner inside store

One man was killed in a South Carolina gun store after the business’ owner told sheriff’s deputies he mistook a firearm for a BB gun.

Berkeley County sheriff’s deputies responded to Coastal Firearms on Cainhoy Road in Charleston last Tuesday for a report of a man who had been shot in the “lower face,” according to an incident report.

First responders declared Stefan Mrgan, 36, dead at the scene at 5:48 p.m. Store owner Jon Whitley told the deputy he accidentally shot Mrgan with a Glock 17 “after mistaking it for a BB gun,” the report reads.

A witness told investigators Whitley and Mrgan had been “having a conversation like normal” inside the store when the witness heard a “loud bang,” then saw Mrgan fall to the ground “bleeding.”

Investigators took possession of Whitley’s Glock as part of the investigation. The store owner was not arrested at the scene.

This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 2:45 PM.

Bristow Marchant

The State

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Bristow Marchant covers local government, schools and community in Lexington County for The State. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007. He has almost 20 years of experience covering South Carolina at the Clinton Chronicle, Sumter Item and Rock Hill Herald. He joined The State in 2016. Bristow has won numerous awards, most recently the S.C. Press Association’s 2024 education reporting award.  Support my work with a digital subscription