South Carolina beach shooting leaves 5 teens, 1 woman injured on high school senior 'skip day'
CHARLESTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: Chaos engulfed a South Carolina beach, which had several high school students participating in their ‘senior skip day’ on Friday afternoon, on April 7. As per the latest reports, the shooter injured at least six beachgoers, including 5 teenagers and 1 adult woman. It's unclear whether there was one or multiple shooters. The Isle of Palms Police Chief Kevin Cornett informed that the police were already at the beach trying to intervene and settle two fights when the shooting began around 5.20 pm.
“A large crowd of individuals that apparently were part of a group from senior skip day had gathered on the beach. There were a couple of altercations that took place and during one of those altercations, there were several shots that were fired,” said Cornett during a press conference. The officer updated that they have arrested several shooting suspects but they haven’t been able to determine the actual shooter yet. The department also discovered multiple firearms at the beach. The area was shut down and cordoned off after the shooting.
READ MORE
'Be aware': Crocodile attacks 65-year-old man sleeping on the beach
Cornett also provided details about the victims to the press. The five teenagers injured were around the age of 18 while the adult woman shot is in her mid-30s or early 40s. Cornett revealed that while some of the injured were taken to a local hospital, others made their own arrangements. Fortunately, all injuries were deemed non-life threatening, as reported by ABC7.
SENIOR SKIP DAY SHOOTING: 17-year-old female in stable condition after undergoing surgery. She was shot along w/ 2nd person on Senior Skip day in Greenville County. Shooting happened at Sterling Park on Valentine Street this evening. (1/2) https://t.co/BVSJMr6PEV pic.twitter.com/gQ5jmFPqaB
— Cody Alcorn (@CodyAlcorn) April 28, 2022
'Senseless act of violence'
“We have weapons recovered, but we cannot say that they were the weapons involved in the incident,” said Cornett. A video from the scene captured hundreds of beachgoers running from the shooting spot triggering further panic and screaming. The department did anticipate a rise in the number of people turning up at the beach amid spring break and had increased the number of officers on duty.
Meanwhile, high school seniors were there too, having taken Friday off, to participate in the ‘skip day’ tradition. “It is heart-wrenching to hear of this senseless act of violence, especially so close to home,” said South Carolina Senator Tim Scott online, as per ABC News.
'Incredibly sad, and just horrific'
“This should have been a joyous occasion for high school students on Senior 'Skip Day',” responded South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace on the incident. “Incredibly sad, and just horrific." Isle of Palms, which is a coastal city on a barrier island in Charleston County had a population of around 4,000 residents.
This is a developing story. MEAWW will keep you updated.