Authorities say an 18-year-old man has been charged with murder after a marijuana transaction inside a dormitory at South Carolina State University ended in gunfire that killed two people and wounded a student.
Suspect Identified: State Law Enforcement Division documents name the suspect as Khamanti Lytrel Kennedy, 18. Officials say Kennedy ran from a room in the Hugine Suites residential complex following the Thursday night shooting. Kennedy is not enrolled at the university and had been released on bond after a September campus weapons arrest, according to court records.
Victims: The two people killed were identified as 19-year-old Henry L. Crittington and 18-year-old Terrell Thomas. Neither was a student at South Carolina State. A student who was wounded in the incident has not been publicly identified and the university has not released that person’s condition.
What Happened: The arrest warrant indicates Kennedy arrived on campus with three other men in a vehicle. The men retrieved items from the car, and a marijuana deal inside the dorm room escalated into gunfire. The warrant does not name who fired the shots.
Investigation and Arraignment
Campus surveillance footage and other security measures installed after an October fatal shooting helped investigators identify Kennedy as a suspect, officials said. Kennedy was arraigned in Orangeburg County court and denied bond; court reports note he answered questions from a judge and did not appear to have an attorney present at that hearing.
Campus Response
South Carolina State announced tighter visitor controls after the shooting: visitors will only be allowed on campus between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. and must pass security screening. Students will use a separate gate and are required to present student ID. The university is also seeking $8 million from state lawmakers to fund additional security upgrades, a new on-campus police station and more officers.
Context: Founded in 1896, South Carolina State is the state’s only public historically Black university and enrolls more than 2,900 students. The campus recently marked the 58th anniversary of the Orangeburg Massacre, when officers shot into a crowd of students protesting segregation in 1968.
Officials have emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and have not publicly released details about the wounded student’s condition or which individual fired the weapon or weapons involved.
