Teen was sitting in a car when he was fatally shot, SC coroner says
A South Carolina teenager was killed overnight in a Midlands area shooting, the Aiken County Coroner’s Office said Sunday.
Joseph J. Copeland, 18, was shot at least once before he died, according to Coroner Darryl Ables.
Copeland and another teenager were sitting in a car near an apartment complex at the intersection of Barnwell Avenue and Kershaw Street, Ables said. That’s near Whiskey Road in downtown Aiken.
At about 12:20 a.m., someone opened fire on the vehicle, hitting Copeland, according to Ables.
The other teen drove Copeland to Aiken Regional Medical Centers, where he died in the emergency room at about 1:40 a.m., Ables said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday in Newberry.
No other injuries were reported.
Information on a shooter, or shooters, and a motive for the gunfire was not available.
There is no word if the shooting was an isolated incident or considered an ongoing threat to the community.
No arrests have been reported by the Aiken Department of Public Safety, which is investigating the shooting.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published April 25, 2021 at 12:34 PM.
