Three college students injured, one particular person in custody in Orangeburg Co. highschool capturing

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said a person was detained in connection with a shooting outside Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School that injured students during the afternoon release.

School officials said three students were shot injured in a shootout. They reported that the students were in stable condition.

“The three injured students are in stable condition and their families have been contacted directly,” high school officials said. School officials said the injuries were “not life threatening at the time.”

Orangeburg County EMS officials responded to the shooting and transported three people to the Regional Medical Center.

The sheriff and superintendent held a brief press conference Wednesday evening. Sheriff Ravenell said the press secretary was brief and did not take questions as the investigation was still underway.

“This is a new investigation that is still ongoing,” said Ravenell. “We have a person in custody who is involved in this incident.”

Superintendent Shawn Foster said the shooting was an “unfortunate situation” and thanked the school staff who had brought the students to safety during the incident.

“Hats off to the excellent students at the school and the school management who have continuously prepared their staff and students for the worst of the situation,” said Foster. “We are very grateful to the faculty staff and students in this community and will continue to come together and master the situations to continue to provide high quality education for all of our students.”

Constance Alston said she first found out about the shooting when she received a call from her daughter who said there were shooters on campus.

“There are no words to describe when she told me this,” said Alston. “I literally went numb because I didn’t know what to do.”

Alston was outside school with other parents waiting to have their child on Wednesday night.

“As a parent, that’s the worst thing you can ever feel,” she said. “As parents who are not there to comfort their child or tell them, ‘Everything will be fine’ after seeing pictures of what happened.”

According to the school, law enforcement helped evacuate the school, transporting students to the nearby technology center on Magnolia Street, where parents and guardians would pick up their students. Officials from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office say they sent their crime department to help with the incident.

The school will be closed to students for the remainder of the week, including all after-school activities and exercise.

Foster published the following statement to students and families.

Today our school community lived through the day we prepared hand in hand with law enforcement but always prayed that it would never happen.

As many now know, three students were injured by gunfire fired outside during their afternoon release from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. The injured students are in a stable state at this point. We join their families, teachers, and our entire community in ongoing prayer for their full recovery.

We appreciate the quick action of the school administration, teachers, and staff to get all students to a safe location within the school while law enforcement secured the campus and first responders looked after the victims. Although the investigation is still ongoing, police have arrested an alleged suspect.

All students’ families were updated as new information became available, including details on how to safely reunite students with their parents and guardians.

We understand how disturbing today’s tragic events have been for everyone, including those who stay remotely aware of the situation, but especially those closest to today’s tragedy.

Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School will be closed to students for the remainder of the week, which includes all after-school activities and exercise. Teachers and staff will report to work tomorrow as planned.

For the remainder of the week, Orangeburg-Wilkinson students, staff and families will be provided with personal and remote counseling resources as we relax and heal together from such a tragic afternoon. In the OW there is a personal consultation for teachers and employees. Students and families who would benefit from face-to-face counseling are served at the Technology Center at 3721 Magnolia Street.

Remote counseling is also offered. For information on virtual counseling, visit the Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School website.

#Rightnow We’re on site at Orangeburg Wilkinson High School, which has a large police presence., Three people were shot outside of the school and sent to the Regional Medical Center.

Many are waiting for more information. @ Live5News pic.twitter.com/EucruFlFif

– Paola Tristan Arruda (@PaolaTAarruda) August 18, 2021

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