Second shooting at South Carolina State University in four months; 2 killed, 1 injured

Henry L. Crittington, 19, died at the scene and Terrell Thomas, 18, died at the hospital following a shooting Thursday night at the Hugine Suites complex, authorities said. The condition of the third man in the hospital was unclear and his name has not been released.

The eight-hour lockdown on campus was lifted on Friday morning. No arrests have been announced, but authorities said there was no longer a threat.

Thursday night’s shooting occurred more than four months after two shootings occurred during homecoming celebrations on Oct. 4. One occurred near the same residential complex and resulted in the death of a 19-year-old woman. A man was injured in another shooting. School officials later announced new safety measures.

Kaya Mack had just finished delivering food on campus when she heard gunshots and saw many police officers coming in through the gate.

She said she wasn’t sure where the gunfire came from.

“Their loud sirens shocked me,” she told WLTX-TV. “We looked around, me and everyone else on campus, we all looked around and asked ‘What’s going on?'”

The university canceled classes for Friday and made counselors available to students.

Several people have been arrested on gun-related charges related to the October shooting.

After the October shooting, University President Alexander Conyers announced the addition of new fencing around campus and increased security patrols to better control pedestrian access, according to a news release at the time. Crews are also working to repair damaged perimeter barriers.

Lawmakers need to look at laws that would allow students and others to carry guns on college campuses if they are locked in a car, one lawmaker said. Democratic state Rep. Hamilton Grant said in a statement that they could quickly and easily obtain weapons if the situation escalates.

“We are grieving during Homecoming and this community is grieving again,” said Grant, a 2011 graduate of the university.

Founded in 1896, the school is South Carolina’s only historically black public university and has more than 2,900 current students, according to its website.

The university community recently commemorated the 58th anniversary of what became known as the Orangeburg Massacre. They remember February 8, 1968, when police opened fire on a group of black students who had gathered on campus after protesting segregation at a local bowling alley, killing three young men.