Three people have been arrested in connection with a post-prom shooting that left one person dead and several injured, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office announced.
Officers were called to a home at 824 Antioch Road in Santee for a report of a shooting around 1 a.m. April 27 where high school students, some from Lake Marion High School, had gathered for a prom afterparty.
As the party broke up, a shooting killed 19-year-old Harrison Rollins and injured several others. One victim was taken to a local hospital, Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said at a news conference Friday, but others had already left when emergency responders arrived.
The sheriff’s office has charged 19-year-old Deon Gaddist, 17-year-old Montrell White and a 16-year-old juvenile with murder. The youth was not publicly named because he is a minor. The three were also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime and breach of the peace, which were aggravated in nature.
“It’s a miracle and a blessing that so many others weren’t shot,” Ravenell said. “It could easily have been twenty or thirty kids.”
The sheriff’s office continues to investigate the shooting. Ravenell said he had “no doubt” that more arrests would be made.
“Now is the time for justice and to get these thugs off the streets,” Ravenell said. “That’s what we plan to do.”
