SLED investigating Easter mass shooting in Hampton County

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - UPDATE: The Hampton County Sheriff’s Office said Monday seven people were injured in Sunday’s shooting.

A statement from SLED originally said nine people were injured.

The Sheriff’s Office says all seven people who were injured were taken to the hospital by other bystanders.

The Sheriff’s Office says there is no threat to the community and they do not believe this was a random act.

This incident has been turned over to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for further investigation.

A mass shooting in Hampton County left nine people injured early Sunday morning.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirms it happened at Cara’s Lounge on Ashley Circle Road in Furman.

Witnesses of that shooting say they ran for their lives once the gunfire started and the shots rang out from outside the back of the club.

The lounge was hosting an Easter bash when the shooting took place.

Visitors were both inside and outside the building but when they heard the gunfire, everyone ran away.

Some jumped into nearby ditches to avoid being hit.

Witnesses describe the scene as chaotic as people fled the scene.

“It was scary. We were just trying to get to safety. We didn’t know where the shots were coming from. So we just ran to try to get to safety and then we fell, and we were just trying to get to safety because everyone was running and screaming,” Jasasi Williams, shooting witness said.

“It was a bunch of commotion, people running, girls screaming, a lot of shoes being left behind, a lot of everything being left behind, we just tried to make sure to get a count of all of our people and make sure that everybody was okay,” continued Williams with Christopher Lewis.

The witnesses said they heard gun shots coming from different areas outside, but we do not have any information from law enforcement about any possible suspects or if any arrests have been made in this mass shooting.

“We were just in the club having a good time and shots just let out, it didn’t happen inside of the club…they are not shooting the guns in the air, they are shooting them at people, you have to stay safe at all times, you never know what is going to happen,” said witnesses Christopher Lewis and Jasasi Williams.

There haven’t been any deaths as a result of this shooting.

Staff at Hampton Regional Medical Center say they weren’t able to provide any more information on the extent of the injuries, but they confirm no one had died when we last checked with them.

No word on arrests being made.

This was the second mast shooting in South Carolina over the Easter weekend. There were 14 people injured at a mall in Columbia on Saturday. The investigation continues there and here in Hampton County.

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