Campus Drug Deal Escalates Into Deadly Gunfire
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A teenage man has been charged with murder after a drug transaction inside a dormitory room at a historically Black university ended in gunfire that left two people dead and one injured late Thursday night, police said. The incident unfolded at the Hugine Suites student housing complex, drawing law enforcement to the campus in Orangeburg County.
Eighteen-year-old Khamanti Lytrel Kennedy fled the scene following the shooting, according to authorities. He later was arrested and booked on murder charges related to the incident, which investigators say stemmed from a marijuana deal gone wrong.
Victims Identified; Student Injured
Officials reported that Henry L. Crittington, 19, and Terrell Thomas, 18, were killed in the shooting. Neither victim was enrolled at the university. A third individual, who is a student, was wounded but has not been publicly identified or had their condition disclosed.
According to arrest records, Kennedy was not a student at the university and had previously been released on bond in connection with a separate weapons offense on campus last September. He allegedly arrived with three other men in a vehicle shortly before the shooting occurred in the dorm room as the group was involved in the marijuana transaction. The arrest warrant does not specify who fired the shots.
University Tightens Security After Repeat Violence
This is the second fatal shooting on the campus in recent months — the earlier killing occurred during homecoming festivities in October, when a 19-year-old woman was fatally shot near the same residential complex.
In response to the latest violence, campus officials have implemented stricter security protocols. Visitor access to the university is now limited to set hours, and all visitors must pass through security checkpoints. Students must present ID at designated entry points. The school is also seeking significant funding to further enhance safety infrastructure, including plans for a new campus police station.
Authorities say the additional surveillance cameras and security measures added after last fall’s shooting played a key role in identifying Kennedy as a suspect.
