At least 2 killed in a shooting at a Greenville, South Carolina, club, police say
At least two people were killed and eight others injured in an early Sunday shooting at a Greenville, South Carolina, nightclub, police said.
A deputy with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office noticed a disturbance at the club, Lavish Lounge, shortly before 2 a.m. When he pulled into the parking lot, he heard gunshots and called for emergency assistance, Lt. Jimmy Bolt said.
The Greenville Police Department and South Carolina Highway Patrol responded and found four gunshot victims inside, Bolt said. The officers did not fire their weapons, he said.
A dispatcher later learned that other victims were being transported to the hospital in personal vehicles, Bolt said.
The eight surviving victims are listed in “various conditions,” he said.
There are no suspects in custody. Investigators remain on the scene.
The nightclub was hosting a “very, very, very, large crowd” for a concert when the shooting erupted, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said, according to CNN affiliate WYFF.
“There’s a lot of shell casings inside,” Lewis said. “Everything is turned over. There are a few chairs in there, food on the floor, some bottles busted. You can tell somebody left in a hurry. There are some pretty large amounts of blood.”
In an interview with CNN, Lewis said investigators were looking into whether members of the music group performing at the club were involved. The club promoted a performance by Greensboro, Georgia, rapper Foogiano beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday night, but it was not clear if other acts also played.
Hours before the concert, Foogiano, who four months ago celebrated signing with Atlanta hip-hop star Gucci Mane’s label, posted to Instragram, “Greenville y’all ready!? tonight bout to be a f**king movie.”
Video on social media appears to point to at least two suspects, the sheriff said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has declined to lift restrictions on large group gatherings until the state has Covid-19 under control. Investigators are looking into whether concert organizers had been granted an exception, Lewis told CNN.
Early Sunday, the nightclub posted a message to its social media accounts: “Due to the outcome of (tonight’s) event all future events have been postponed until further notice. We will update you as time progresses!!” It did not elaborate.
South Carolina had tallied more than 41,000 coronavirus cases as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. In its last update Saturday, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 1,836 new cases, with Greenville County showing the third-highest spike at 199 cases.
