Late Thursday night at South Carolina State University’s Hugine Suites housing complex, two young men died and a third was injured in a violent shooting that rocked the tight-knit campus community. The chaos began around 9:15 p.m., when shots rang out inside a dorm room and campus police swiftly sealed the grounds, putting students on lockdown for hours.
Emergency crews found 19-year-old Henry L. Crittington of Orangeburg with fatal gunshot wounds and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Nearby, 18-year-old Terrell Thomas of Norway was rushed to MUSC Health Orangeburg but died shortly after arrival. Both victims were visitors, not enrolled students, university officials confirmed. The third man struck in the hallway was a student, but his name and condition have not been released.
The campus panic led to an immediate lockdown that stretched into the early hours of Friday morning, with law enforcement and public safety officers converging on Hugine Suites to secure the area. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division took lead on the probe, assisted by local police, but by morning there was no indication of any arrests or what sparked the confrontation.
The tragedy forced South Carolina State to cancel all Friday classes and offer counseling services to its students. Residents described a night of sirens, anxious calls, and worried text messages as friends and classmates waited for news. In a statement to families, university leadership expressed sorrow and pledged to support the community as it grapples with the loss.
Just months earlier, the same campus had been struck by gun violence during homecoming celebrations in October, a grim reminder of ongoing safety challenges. That incident, also near Hugine Suites, left one woman dead and another injured, prompting increased security patrols and campus upgrades.
Even as investigators sift through evidence for a motive, the campus sits in mourning. Friends of Crittington and Thomas have shared memories of two young lives cut short, pointing to laughter, plans for the future, and time with family now frozen in a painful moment of loss. Though details remain scarce, the impact is clear — a community searching for answers amid heartbreak.
