ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Orangeburg officers are working to determine the circumstances behind a deadly shooting near the South Carolina State campus late Sunday night that spilled over into the morning hours.
According to Orangeburg Department of Public Safety reports filed by officers who responded to the scene, the incident unfolded sometime around 10 p.m. in the 500 block of Buckley Street.
The first arriving officers found what one described as a "chaotic scene" in which people were screaming. The officer then came closer to a house at the location and noticed two people laying on the ground near a car, one a man and the other a woman.
One officer said that the woman appeared to have a gunshot wound. And while the same officer said the man next to her did not have any obvious gunshot wound, he was unresponsive. Police later said he was not shot but was unconscious due to some sort of intoxication.
A short time later, the officer said he was called over to where another victim was found unconscious in the driveway of a home near another vehicle.
Later, yet another victim was reported at The Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the arm.
Since the shooting, the Orangeburg County coroner's office has confirmed that one of the victims, now known to be 27-year-old Safiya Daniels of Irmo. Daniels was pronounced dead at The Regional Medical Center. An autopsy is scheduled for later in the week.
Police said they found several shell casings and blood stains in the roadway and also learned of damage to cars and nearby homes not long after.
Multiple people reported hearing the shots and at least one told police that he dropped to the ground immediately. However, it didn't appear that any actually saw the shooting itself.
South Carolina State University announced just after midnight that it was putting the campus on lockdown due to a shooting near the campus and under the advisement of Orangeburg County authorities.
During that time, vehicles were prohibited from entering or exiting the campus, and students were urged to remain in their residence halls.
The university lifted its lockdown at around 2 a.m.