Midlands club was ordered shut during coronavirus, but SC man killed there, cops say
A South Carolina man is dead and man from Charlotte, N.C., is behind bars following a Sunday morning shooting at a Midlands club that was supposed to be closed during the coronavirus pandemic, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said.
The shooting happened overnight at a night club on Gertie Circle in Lynchburg, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. That’s about 20 miles east of downtown Sumter. The name of the club was not available.
Roosevelt Durant, Jr., a 31-year-old from Olanta, was killed, according to the release. Sumter County Coroner Robbie Baker will perform the autopsy on Tuesday at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston.
Tyrone Burgess, 51, of Brooktree Drive in Charlotte turned himself in to authorities following the shooting, the sheriff’s office said. According to jail records, he was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Burgess is currently being held at the Sumter-Lee Detention Center and no bond has been set on either charge, jail records show.
“This shooting incident happened during an illegal gathering, against the governor’s executive order, at a closed down club,” Sheriff Anthony Dennis said in the release. “That location had been checked as part of normal patrol prior to the incident and no one was there at that time.”
Information was not available regarding any other arrests or citations for violating the “home or work” order in effect throughout the state.
On March 31, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all nonessential businesses in the state to be closed down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mandated closures include gyms, spas, nightclubs, barber shops, hair salons, tattoo parlors, waxing salons, massage centers, fitness centers, bowling alleys, arcades, racetracks, indoor children’s play areas, theaters, planetariums, museums, tourist attractions and performing arts centers.
In a subsequent update to that order, McMaster added to the list of nonessential South Carolina businesses furniture stores, home furnishing stores, clothing stores, shoe and clothing accessory stores, jewelry stores, luggage and leather goods stores, department stores, florists, sporting goods stores, bookstores, along with craft and music stores.
Since testing began in early March, 146 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in Sumter County, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. That includes four patients who died after testing positive for the coronavirus.
This story was originally published April 12, 2020 at 12:39 PM.
