Richland Co. man pleads guilty to federal civil rights crime

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)–A Richland County man pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday after admitting he shot at his neighbor last July, because he is black.
34-year-old Jonathan Felkel admitted to U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis that he intended to scare the victim, Jarvis McKenzie, and didn’t want him living in his neighborhood.
In the video at the Spring Valley housing development, U.S. Attorneys say you can see Felkel pull up to the gate and fire a gun at McKenzie while the victim was on his way to work.
While Felkel was not sentenced Thursday, he has agreed to serve at least eight to nine years in prison for the felony.
Felkel becomes the first person in Richland county to be charged under the recent hate crime ordinance.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Moore says, “This plea means accountability. it means a step towards justice for the victim. The FBI will always work as hard as we can to protect our communities and ensuring folks feel safe. Our law enforecment team is committed to doing just that — keeping our communities safe.”

U.S. Attorneys say Felkel will be officially sentenced in 90 to 100 days.
Currently South Carolina remains one of two states without a hate crime law.