Two young men were shot and killed inside a dorm room at South Carolina State University, and a student was wounded, authorities said, an attack that triggered an overnight lockdown and renewed questions about security at the historically Black campus.
The shooting happened late Thu., Feb. 12, inside Hugine Suites, a residential complex near the center of campus. State agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are leading the investigation. University officials said there is no ongoing threat, but they have not announced any arrests and have not publicly described what led up to the gunfire.
Orangeburg County Coroner Sean Fogle identified the men who died as Henry L. Crittington, 19, of Orangeburg, and Terrell Thomas, 18, of Norway, South Carolina. Authorities said neither Crittington nor Thomas was enrolled at South Carolina State. A third person who was shot was a student, officials said, but the student’s name was not released, and authorities did not provide an updated condition.
University alerts show the school moved quickly to lock down the campus after reports of shots. Officials said the incident was reported about 9:15 p.m. Thursday, and students and staff were told to shelter in place as officers searched the housing area and nearby streets. The lockdown lasted nearly eight hours and was lifted about 5 a.m. Friday, officials said. By daybreak, police vehicles and flashing lights had faded, but students said the hours in between were tense and confusing as messages spread through phones and group chats.
“Their loud sirens kind of shook me,” student Kaya Mack told a local TV station as she described seeing police rush through a gate after the shots. Another student, Jasmine Brihm, told Live 5 News she heard screams in the immediate aftermath. “Everybody was screaming, he got shot. I heard the one boy screaming for help,” Brihm said.
Investigators have released few details about what happened inside the room where the shooting occurred. A police report cited by The Associated Press said two women were also inside the room, but authorities did not say whether they were witnesses, residents, or visitors, and they did not describe any statements those women may have given. Officials also have not said how many shots were fired, what type of weapon was used, or whether the shooter knew the victims. They have not said what brought two nonstudents into the dorm or whether the violence began as a dispute.
Local police were the first to respond. The Orangeburg Department of Public Safety said officers arrived and secured the area while additional units converged on campus. South Carolina State’s campus police, the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, and other agencies assisted as the state investigative team took the lead. Agents processed the room, looked for surveillance video, and worked to identify witnesses who might have been nearby, authorities said. Officials said the public should expect more information after detectives confirm details and finish early interviews.
The university canceled classes through Mon., Feb. 16, and postponed Saturday’s men’s basketball game against Morgan State to Feb. 25, according to statements from the school and reporting on the response. The university said counselors were made available for students who witnessed the response or who are struggling after the shooting. Some campus buildings had limited access while investigators worked, and administrators said they were reviewing security procedures, including how visitors get into residential areas at night.
University President Alexander Conyers, in a message to parents, said the campus community was grieving and focused on safety. “Our prayers go out to the victims and their families who were impacted by this incident,” Conyers wrote. “We strive to provide a safe environment for our students and understand that recent gun-related crimes on campus could cause concerns for parents.”
Those concerns have been building since October, when gun violence around homecoming week shook the campus and nearby streets. Officials said there were two separate shootings during the Oct. 4 homecoming celebrations. One shooting near the same residential complex killed a 19-year-old woman, and another incident wounded a man, authorities said. After those shootings, Conyers announced increased security steps, including adding new fencing along the campus perimeter and expanding patrols to better control pedestrian access, according to reporting on the university’s prior response.
The dorm shooting, however, happened away from a large public event and inside a building where students live. That detail has fueled a new round of criticism from students who say safety upgrades have not kept pace with the risks they feel at night. In interviews with Live 5 News, some students said they believe outsiders can enter campus too easily, especially near housing.
“I don’t feel safe low-key because they let anybody on this campus,” Brihm said. Another student, identified only as Destiney, said Hugine Suites needs better security infrastructure. “Hugine is not really security, and there’s no cameras,” she said. “Please, we need cameras in every Hugine Suite.”
Other students said the campus response was fast but still left them unsettled. Malachi Banks, a sophomore, told Live 5 News he believes weapons can still be brought onto campus without being detected. “They’re not checking cars. I mean, they do check your IDs, but you can still bring a gun on campus, and nobody will know,” Banks said. Another student, Zeporia Smith, said responsibility also falls on students and their circles, describing peer pressure as one way to keep weapons away from campus spaces.
In public statements after the shooting, officials stressed that the investigation is still in an early stage. SLED has not named a suspect, and authorities have not said whether the shooter fled on foot, left in a vehicle, or remained nearby as police locked down the campus. They also have not said whether the weapon has been recovered. The lack of details has left students searching for answers while investigators work quietly through evidence and interviews.
The shooting has also revived debate among state leaders about how guns intersect with campus life. State Rep. Hamilton Grant, a Democrat and a South Carolina State graduate, said lawmakers should take another look at rules that allow guns on college campuses when locked and hidden inside vehicles, arguing that those rules can still allow quick access during a confrontation. “We grieved during Homecoming and this community grieves yet again,” Grant said in a statement cited in reporting on the incident.
South Carolina State enrolls roughly 2,900 students and sits in Orangeburg, about 40 miles southeast of Columbia. Founded in 1896, it is South Carolina’s only public historically Black university, and it remains central to the city’s identity. The campus also carries the legacy of the 1968 Orangeburg Massacre, when law enforcement officers fired on student protesters, killing three young men and injuring others. In recent days, the university community marked the anniversary of that event, a reminder of how violence can shape campus memory across generations.
Trustees and administrators moved quickly after Thursday’s shooting to discuss what comes next. The university’s Board of Trustees called an emergency meeting on security, but it recessed soon after it began to meet in private session, according to accounts of the meeting. Trustees did not make public statements afterward beyond indicating they would respond to questions submitted by email.
For now, the immediate focus remains on the criminal investigation and the campus response. Classes were paused into the start of the week, a move administrators said would give investigators time to complete key steps and allow students to access counseling and support. Police have said there is no active threat, but students interviewed over the weekend said the fear from the lockdown night has not fully lifted, especially for those who live in or near Hugine Suites.
Authorities said the next major update is expected after detectives complete early reports, confirm a timeline, and sort out who was in the room and why. As of Sunday, officials had not announced any arrests, and investigators had not released information about a suspect or a motive.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 15, 2026.