One woman was killed and nine others were wounded after a dispute turned into a gunfight at a packed Juneteenth celebration Saturday, authorities in South Carolina said.
“Right now, deputies can confirm one person is unfortunately dead, one patient was flown to Greenville Memorial Hospital, and at least 8 others were taken to nearby hospitals including in Anderson and Greenville,” the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday morning, accompanied by video of the scene.
Laporshia Janae Gray Cobb, 35, was fatally shot in the abdomen, Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore told WLTX-TV.
Two of the wounded were severely injured, and all nine were hospitalized, authorities said. Several of the wounded “transported themselves to nearby hospitals,” the sheriff’s office said Sunday afternoon, while at least one was airlifted. Cobb was found dead at the scene.
An “extensive investigation” was underway, and the Criminal Investigations Division had “pinpointed persons of interest,” the sheriff’s office said in an update later Sunday. Detectives canvassed the neighborhood, interviewed witnesses and appealed to the public for any information.
No one has yet been arrested, authorities said.
The shooting broke out just before 11 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. Beforehand, there was no suggestion of violence as hundreds gathered throughout the day along Scarborough Road in Anderson, S.C., to mark the day U.S. slavery officially ended, a custom for the past six years, police said.
“It remained a peaceful event to celebrate Juneteenth,” police said. “However, as more people arrived, an argument ensued in the parking lot and multiple shots were fired, with people scrambling throughout the area.”
Hundreds bolted from the “chaotic scene” after bullets started flying, leaving scattered shoes, debris and clothing in their wake, the sheriff’s office said. At the same time, more than 100 law enforcement personnel descended — from EMS, firefighters and state troopers, to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
While the shooting occurred just feet from a Veterans of Foreign Wars center, neither the event nor the gunfire had anything to do with the VFW, police said, adding the shooting did not seem to be politically motivated.
With News Wire Services
