South Carolina

Prom after-party erupts in gunfire, sending two to hospital, South Carolina cops say

Police in Bennettsville, South Carolina, are investigating after two people were shot at an after-prom party downtown on May 8.
Police in Bennettsville, South Carolina, are investigating after two people were shot at an after-prom party downtown on May 8. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Two people are expected to be OK after they were shot during a prom after-party in South Carolina over the weekend, multiple outlets reported.

Both were taken to a hospital after “an unknown individual opened fire” on Sunday, May 8, in a parking lot near where the party was being held in downtown Bennettsville, according to WBTW, citing Police Chief Kevin Miller.

The event, which was not school affiliated, was hosted by a local party promoter, Miller told McClatchy News over the phone. Some students were in attendance after prom ended earlier that night.

Officers were already in the area near Market Street and Liberty Street, not far from the city courthouse, when the gunfire erupted, WMBF reported.

A 19-year-old girl was shot in the foot, the police chief told WPDE, and another person was shot in the back. Miller said their injuries were non-life-threatening and that they have been released from the hospital.

No arrests have been made, and police said the shooting remains under investigation.

Bennettsville is about 100 miles northeast of Columbia.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Prom after-party erupts in gunfire, sending two to hospital, South Carolina cops say."

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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