NEWBERRY, S.C. — The police chief in Newberry has confirmed, on Sunday, that three more people are dead - hours after confirming a shooting that claimed the life of a teen overnight.
Chief Kevin Goodman said that he was called to Eleanor Street just before 3 p.m. in reference to a shooting. He said they found three teen victims who had been shot and died from their injuries.
It's unclear if the shooting is directly related to another that happened around midnight on Wise Street. However, Chief Goodman did draw some connections between the victims themselves.
"Preliminarily, I would say that everybody, all of the victims, are somehow connected," he said. "They knew each other and I understand they were in the same circle."
Between the two incidents, the ages of the victims ranged from 15 to 19 years old, the chief said, with one having been questioned in connection with the earlier shooting.
Chief Goodman said that while the city has had shootings before, there hadn't been anything of this magnitude to happen in Newberry in the past.
Coroner Lara Kneece said that next-of-kin had been notified but she was working to get "absolute confirmation" on all victims before releasing the names.
The school system has been notified, however, as apparently some of the victims were school-aged teens.
The chief once again urged those with information regarding either incident to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
"As I always say, it takes a village to keep this neighborhood, to keep this city and this county safe," he said. "So, any and all information we need - we need. And we ask that you give us anything. Even if it doesn't seem like it's important, tell us anyway and let us decide if it's good information."