Jonathan Andrew Felkel Gets 9 Years for Rifle Hate Crime Against Black Neighbor
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 17
Jonathan Andrew Felkel Gets 9 Years for Rifle Hate Crime Against Black Neighbor
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 17
Summary
A federal judge in Columbia, South Carolina, sentenced Jonathan Andrew Felkel, 34, to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty in March to violating a Black neighbor’s housing rights.
Prosecutors said Felkel fired a Remington Model 7400 semiautomatic rifle into the air on July 17, 2025, while shouting threats and a racial slur at Jarvis McKenzie as he waited for a ride to work.
Court documents said Felkel admitted he targeted McKenzie because he was Black and wanted to drive him from the Spring Valley neighborhood, despite having no evidence the neighbor had committed any crime.
After sentencing, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Felkel told investigators he was out that morning looking for Black people to shoot, underscoring the racial motive behind the federal case.