SANTEE, S.C. — A teen is dead following a prom after party in Orangeburg County; deputies are investigating what led to the deadly gunfire.
On Saturday, Lake Marion High School students attended a supervised after-prom party at a home on Antioch Road.
A little after 1 a.m. on Saturday, deputies responded to a call about a shooting. When they arrived on the scene, a 17-year-old had been shot in the arm, and a 19-year-old was shot dead.
Orangeburg County Deputy Sheriff Chandra Gibbs says the community has been working with the sheriff’s office to provide information about the incident.
“It’s refreshing that that is happening that we’re having those conversations, that they’re reaching out to us and that from our young people even to the adults that are reaching out and giving us names of people that they think may have had gun and that they saw guns,” said Gibbs. “We are committed that if they had any guns or any shot that came from their guns we are arresting them and we’re not arresting just to put people in handcuffs, we’re arresting to a point of conviction.”
Gibbs is encouraging parents to ask questions about prom after parties.
“We want families to be paying attention and to know who’s coming, we want other parents who are allowing their children to go to after parties to ask those questions, who’s going to be there talk to the other parents that are hosting it, be that nosey parent,” said Gibbs. “That is the who what where when why and how, we encourage that.”
Gibbs says the last thing partygoers were expecting was the tragic outcome.
“No one expected that, and I don’t think anybody that was out there was expecting that to happen so that’s what our focus is because at the end of the day we still have a loss of life and we still have a grieving family that we’ve got to focus on.”
Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office says they have several leads, but this investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information on the shooting should call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.