RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — Sheriff Leon Lott said on Sunday that the victims who were wounded during a shooting at a crowded Richland County park on Sunday are expected to survive their injuries, but many more will be scarred by what happened that morning.
"You have some that are serious conditions. You got some having surgeries today," Sheriff Lott said. "I guess the biggest question I've asked is, 'Do we think they're going to survive?' And the answer is at this point, we think they're all going to survive."
But he said the shooting will stay with many for the rest of their lives.
"Many, many more that doesn't have a visible wound but have a psychological wound, mental wounds, stuff that they're going to have to live with the rest of the life," Lott said. "The terror that they experienced was something that they will ... never forget."
Around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, deputies responded to Meadowlake Park to reports of a large crowd. At the park, only a few remained including a C.A. Johnson High School student who had been struck by a vehicle.
However, authorities soon learned that as many as nine people had arrived at area hospitals with gunshot wounds - three of whom were from Keenan High School.
But the sheriff was quick to point out that the event was advertised online and drew several people, including many teens, from as far away as Great Falls in Chester County.
"So, it wasn't just these two schools that was involved," Lott said. "Keenan, yes, had a prom, they had people there. But there was multiple people from various schools there."
At these "flash parties," as he described them, Lott said students aren't necessarily the danger.
"Problem is, people who are not going to school, who show up and they have one thing in mind and that's called the problem," he said.
And he had a word for some of the ones who were responsible for Saturday morning's violence.
"If you think wearing a mask and sneaking around a building and shooting into a crowd makes you a man that's nothing but a coward. You're nothing but a coward to do something like that," he said. "Shoot girls in the back, shooting females in the back, shooting people just in a crowd. Does that make you somebody? Does that give you a reputation within your group of people that you run with now? All it does is make you a coward."
He said there were multiple shooters during the incident and vowed that they would be caught.
As for the event itself, the sheriff said it appears to have started at an AirBnB in Hopkins and then moved to another park before ultimately ending at Meadowlake Park. The sheriff said the park was closed at the time.
Sheriff slams 'catch and release' after park shooting
The sheriff also brought up his concerns regarding alleged "catch and release" policies that allow those charged with sometimes violent crimes out of jail - pointing to two men, Miquise Fulwiley and Ty'Quan Kelly, who were arrested and granted bond the next day after they failed to stop for deputies and were found with marijuana and at least one gun.
While investigators are still working to determine what, if any, ties the two had to the shooting, both were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon - one of which has been recovered after Lott said it was thrown out of a car window.
Fulwiley was released on a personal recognizance bond later Saturday and Kelly on a cash bond several hours after him the same day. Sheriff Lott added that Kelly was already out on bond for having a gun on April 16. The sheriff said that he also had a bond granted in March for having a gun.
"These bond court magistrates are letting people like this out, back on the streets where they're hurting people," the sheriff said. "I am sick and tired of having to stand up here at a press conference and talk about that."
Meanwhile, the issue of bond concerns has already made its way to the legislature for the year. The South Carolina Senate passed a bill that would bring changes to the state's bond system earlier in April.
The sheriff said he hopes to see change soon.
"Legislators, help us out. Pass bond reform," he said. "Get on these bond court magistrates and make them do something that they should do and that's protect people and hold people accountable."