CHARLESTON, SC NEWS - LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, SportsWalterboro on high alert; State of Emergency not declared yet

Walterboro on high alert; State of Emergency not declared yet

By Nicole Johnson  bio | email | Twitter

By Hatzel Vela  bio | email | Twitter

COLLETON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - A state of emergency has not been declared in Walterboro and surrounding Colleton County, but the community will get increased security from SLED, the ATF, US Marshals and local police. Between Monday and Wednesday night, 11 people have been shot and three were killed.

Governor Mark Sanford's office released a statement Thursday afternoon about the violence:

"The Governor has been in contact with leaders at the local and county level, as well as law enforcement in the Lowcountry and at the state level. Based on the consensus of conversations the Governor has held throughout the day with local law enforcement and local elected officials, there will not be a State of Emergency declared at this time, though the situation will be monitored closely and reevaluated constantly throughout the night and beyond." 

Three state lawmakers, Senator Robert Ford and Representatives Wendell Gilliard and Kenneth Hodges, plan to deliver a letter to the Governor requesting a state of emergency be declared. The letter should be on his desk by Friday morning, Gilliard said.

Walterboro Mayor Bill Young's immediate concern is that there is no more loss of life.

To end the wave of violence, heavy police presence in town is the short term answer, Young said. In the long run, this is a problem the community will have to work together to fix, he added.

"There is a street mentality now that when there is a problem between groups or friends they're going to handle it themselves," Young said.

That has to stop, he said. Residents need to start to opening up to police.

"People within the community that are affected are going to have to feel safe enough to talk to law enforcement when they think something bad is going to happen," Young said.

On the streets, the sentiment is similar.

"If they know somebody is involved, they need to tell the story or some more innocent people is going to die," said Emily Williams, a long-time resident.

While the community opens up, Young said the criminals need to come off the streets.

"You have a small number of people committing crimes over and over and over," he said.

The violence began Monday night with a drive-by shooting that killed three people and injured six others. It happened at a home at the corner of McDaniel and Gerideau Streets.

Then just after 9 pm Wednesday, two people were hit after shots were fired in the air and at a car. Colleton County deputies got numerous calls of gunfire.

Authorities responded to a home on Cleveland Street and a parking lot at the corner of Proctor and River Streets.

The first report of gunshots came from the Cleveland Street home. About 30 people were gathered at the home to remember the three victims who died in Monday night's drive-by.

Ella Adams says the gunfire illuminated the sky. "I've never seen so much. It looked like firecrackers, up in the air and stuff," Adams said.

Adams, who owns the home, said no one was injured. The shots were fired just blocks away from Monday night's deadly drive-by.

A man reported to police that someone was shooting toward him and his passengers as they drove down Robertson Boulevard. The road runs parallel to Cleveland Street and Adam’s home, but they were not shooting toward the home.

When people at the home heard the gunfire they dropped to the ground and began carrying young children inside to safety. Adams said she was pulling into the driveway with children in the back seat.

"All I could do was just snatch the seat belt off and then get back there between the seats and get them down," Adams said.

Deputies also responded to the corner of River and Proctor Streets after getting a call about two victims who had been shot. A man told deputies he was driving down Robertson Boulevard when someone opened fire on him and his passengers. A family member took the two victims to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

A police report later identified Wednesday's shooting victims as Jason Michael Brown and Leviticus Ford.

Mitch Mongell, CEO of Colleton County Medical Center, said the men's injuries were serious enough to transfer both of them to a different hospital.

State law enforcement agents and deputies met with the two people shot at the hospital. They took clothing, gun residue, and bullets as evidence.Deputies noted their car was riddled with bullet holes from the gun fight Wednesday night. Both men were transported to area hospitals for treatment.

According to the report released by the Sheriff's office, deputies believe the two shootings may be connected and are trying to connect the two crimes.

The Colleton County Sheriff's Office said deputies will be working around the clock to ensure the safety of residents.

"Stay inside, keep their loved ones inside, that would be very helpful," Sheriff George Malone said.

The Sheriff's Office does not have any suspects in custody for Wednesday's shooting, but deputies are following up on leads. "We are still putting the pieces together. We have information on who might have possibly committed these crimes and we are presently trying to locate those persons."

Anyone with information on any of the Colleton County shooting should leave an anonymous tip at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

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Sheldon Dutes and Nicole Johnson's report, Funeral arrangement set for victims of deadly drive-by

Nicole Johnson's report, Teen charged in deadly Walterboro drive-by

Bob Behanian's report, 'Never have I seen anything like this'

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