ANDERSON, S.C. (WSPA) – A Juneteenth celebration in upstate South Carolina turned tragic on Saturday, resulting in one death and at least nine injuries due to a shooting.
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office reported that an altercation near the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Anderson escalated into gunfire during the festivities.
“I just heard a bunch of pops,” a witness said.
The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that at least 10 people were harmed in the incident. One individual was declared dead at the scene, another was airlifted to Greenville Memorial, and eight others received emergency medical attention in Anderson. Their health status has not been disclosed.
“What we do know is that multiple shots rang out with multiple people hurt all at the same time,” said Shale Remien with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. “We had people that were being taken physically from the scene, and that is why you see the debris. You see pieces of clothing, you see everything just scattered on the ground at this point in time, because we even has people that took off within their own cars in order to get to the hospital.”
Early Sunday morning, the Anderson County Coroner identified the woman who was fatally shot as 35-year-old Laporshia Janae Gray Cobb of Anderson. The coroner’s office said Cobb died as a result of a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
Authorities said hundreds of people were in the area for a Juneteenth event. Surrounding roads were lined with parked vehicles Saturday night that were illuminated by flashing lights into Sunday morning.
One by one, vehicles were towed from the scene, including a state highway patrol trooper’s cruiser, which was struck while responding to the area, according to a witness.
“Chaos is an understatement when it comes to this scene, which is why you see how large it is,” said Remien.
A bystander, who did not want to be identified, said the night quickly escalated into a scary situation with children and families caught in the middle.
“We were coming together just to celebrate each other and enjoy one another,” the man said. “It was good. It was good up to that point.”
“You can tell people are coming together for the right reasons, but unfortunately, that took a turn very quickly,” said Remien.
Deputies and crime scene investigators spent hours going through evidence. Shell casings could be seen littered on the ground as authorities placed dozens of markers.
“We will be investigating for quite a while. This scene is far from being wrapped up,” said Remien.
At this point, investigators said it’s unclear what the motive was and if it was connected to the Juneteenth event. No suspects have been named; however, deputies said they believe more than one person may be responsible.
