9 people shot in mass shooting at South Carolina lounge, police say

By Amir Vera and Raja Razek, CNN

A mass shooting in Furman, South Carolina, left at least nine people injured Sunday morning, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

“SLED agents are leading an investigation into a shooting at Cara’s Lounge in Hampton County this morning where at least nine people were shot,” SLED said in a news release. “At this time there are no fatalities.”

The Hampton County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said in an update Monday, “There is no threat to the community.”

HCSO initially reported “all seven victims suffering from injuries had already been transported from the scene to hospitals by other bystanders” when deputies arrived, according to the update posted online. In later updates, the sheriff’s office confirmed an eighth and ninth victim were identified in the shooting incident.

“Law enforcement does not believe this was a random act,” HCSO said.

CNN affiliate WTOC-TV reported the lounge was hosting an Easter bash when the shots rang out. There were people inside and outside the lounge when the shooting started, and some even had to jump into nearby ditches to avoid being hit, WTOC reported.

“It was scary. We were just trying to get to safety,” Jasasi Williams told WTOC. “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.”

HCSO asked SLED to investigate the shooting, according to SLED, and additional information would be released as it becomes available.

Furman is about 50 miles north of Savannah, Georgia.

This weekend saw two shootings in South Carolina, with no fatalities in either incident as of Sunday afternoon. The other mass shooting took place at the Columbiana Centre mall in Columbia. Fourteen people were injured in that shooting, and one person has been arrested.

There was also another shooting in Pittsburgh early Sunday that left two people dead and several others injured at a large party.

All three shootings also follow a scourge of gun violence that has been plaguing the US in the last few weeks. To date, there have been more than 130 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

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