Teen among two killed in shooting at post-quarantine party, more hurt SC cops say
Two people were killed, including a teenager, and five others were hospitalized with injuries following a shooting at a Saturday night block party, according to South Carolina law enforcement.
A 17-year-old and a 21-year-old were killed at the block party where there were an estimated 900-1,000 people in attendance, Union County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Scott Coffer told The State on Sunday morning.
In spite of the large turnout, the sheriff’s office said it did not enforce coronavirus-related social distancing mandates because the annual event was held on private property.
Two people were taken into custody after gunfire was exchanged at the party on Dover Road, Coffer said. That’s about 80 miles north of Columbia.
They were identified as Shaquille Obryant Barber and Darnell Deandre Beacham, aka “Dough Fat,” or “Fat,” according to the sheriff’s office.
More arrests are possible as investigators continue to search the crime scene, according to Coffer. As of Sunday morning, no motive for the shooting was known.
Information on the condition of the five other gunshot wound victims was not available, but at least one of the injuries is considered life threatening, Coffer said.
The Union County Coroner’s Office will publicly identify the teen and 21-year-old killed in the shooting after notifying their families.
At about 7:30 p.m., deputies learned about the party as somewhere between 200-300 vehicles lined Highway 114 and Highway 9, parked on both sides of the roads, according to a news release. Coffer said the party is an end-of-the-school-year celebration.
The DJ at the party stopped the music as deputies told those in attendance they had to move the cars or the vehicles would be towed, and trucks were called by 9:15 p.m. to start that process, the release said.
Deputies remained on the scene because a large crowd had gathered, and soon found a male who had been shot lying on the side of the road, according to the release.
As deputies searched the area for more gunshot victims and the shooters, they said they were called about another male who was shot inside a residence on Dover Road.
One person died at the scene while the others were taken to hospitals in Union, Cherokee, Greenville and Spartanburg counties, according to the release.
There has never been an incident of this caliber at any of the past block parties held on the private property in the past, Coffer said.
“Parties like these on private property are not uncommon and can cause a problem when people drink and want to gather with one another from being under quarantine,” Sheriff David Taylor said in the release.
Coffer said to be mindful of who you invite to your house.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, or DHEC, is encouraging people to practice social distancing to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing is staying away from unnecessary interactions with sick people and from large groups of people; it also calls for remaining at home unless it is absolutely necessary to go out.
In addition to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, officers from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Union Public Safety, South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) assisted in the investigation.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 864-429-1611, or CrimeStoppers at 864-427-0800.
This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 12:13 PM.
