At least 2 dead after shooting at South Carolina State University
At least 2 people are dead, and another was injured after a campus shooting on Thursday at South Carolina State University, school officials said, the latest gun-related incident to rock a U.S. college community.
A campus lockdown was issued at about 9:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, after a reported shooting in an apartment at the Hugine Suites student residential complex, South Carolina State University officials announced in a statement. The school, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, is about 45 miles southeast of the state capital, Columbia.
Information about the victims’ identities, the condition of the injured person, and whether the suspected shooter or shooters remain at large was not immediately known. USA Today reached out to the university for comment.
School president: ‘Our prayers go out to the victims and their families’
In a statement addressed to parents, South Carolina State University President Col. (Ret.) Alexander Conyers confirmed that the injured victim is a student and that the two people killed in the shooting were visiting the campus as guests.
“Our prayers go out to the victims and their families who were impacted by this incident,” Conyers said in the statement, adding that a meeting on campus safety concerns took place with student leaders after the shooting. “We strive to provide a safe environment for our students and understand that recent gun-related crimes on campus could cause concerns for parents.”
Classes are canceled through Monday, the president added.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigators are investigating the shooting, authorities told USA Today. Law enforcement confirmed that three men were shot in the incident.
“Information regarding the identities of the deceased will come from the Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office,” the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said in a statement. “South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. More information may be available as the case continues.”
Student on latest shooting: ‘A lot and very unnecessary’
Founded in 1896, South Carolina State University has a population of over 3,000 students, according to the school website. The school is the state’s only public historically Black university.
The incident in South Carolina comes after the December 2025 mass shooting at Brown University that killed two students and injured nine others. In October 2025, shootings on the South Carolina State University campus left one person dead and another injured as the institution hosted homecoming celebrations.
Mekayla Tolar, a senior and a resident assistant for freshmen at South Carolina State University, admitted that the latest shooting has taken an emotional toll.
“Three deaths in first year is a lot and very unnecessary,” Tolar said, WIS reported. “So I just do my best to be as affirming and reassuring as possible. It’s a great place to be, to learn. But this does make it very difficult for children to want to come here and to want to stay here.”
Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA Today
This article originally appeared on USA Today
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