Shooting at a South Carolina State University dorm kills 2 and wounds 1

This image made from video shows the South Carolina State University campus in Orangeburg, S.C., after a shooting in a residential complex, early Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.(WLTX via AP)

ORANGEBURG, S.C. —Two men were killed and another was wounded in a shooting in a dorm room at South Carolina State University just four months after another deadly shooting at the campus.

Henry L. Crittington, 19, died at the scene of the Thursday night shooting at the Hugine Suites housing complex, and Terrell Thomas, 18, died at the hospital, authorities said. The condition of the third man was not known, and his name was not released.

Both men killed were not students, while the wounded man was enrolled, officials said.

An eight-hour lockdown on campus was lifted Friday morning. No arrests were announced, but authorities said there was no longer a threat.

A police report indicated that there were two women in the room, but investigators did not release details about what led to the shooting.

The South Carolina State University Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting to discuss security but immediately recessed to meet without the public present. The trustees made no public statements beyond promising to answer any questions sent by email later.

“Our prayers go out to the victims and their families who were impacted by this incident,” university President Alexander Conyers said in a letter to parents. “We strive to provide a safe environment for our students and understand that recent gun-related crimes on campus could cause concerns for parents.”

Kaya Mack had just finished making a food delivery on campus when she heard gunshots and saw lots of police officers coming through a gate. She was not sure where the shots came from.

“Their loud sirens kind of shook me,” she told WLTX-TV. “We were looking around, me and other people on campus, we’re all looking around like, `What’s going on?”'

The university cancelled classes through Monday and postponed Saturday’s men’s basketball game against Morgan State to Feb. 25. The school also made counsellors available to students.

The shooting happened a little over four months after two shootings during Oct. 4 homecoming celebrations. One, which happened near the same residential complex, killed a 19-year-old woman. A man was injured in the other shooting. Several people were arrested on gun-related charges.

After those shootings, Conyers announced the addition of new fencing along the campus perimetre and additional security patrols to better control pedestrian access. Crews were also set to repair damaged perimeter barriers.

Democratic state Rep. Hamilton Grant said Friday in a statement that legislators need to look at laws that allow students and others to have guns on college campuses if they are locked and hidden in a vehicle. That leaves them with quick and easy access to grab a weapon if a situation escalates, Grant said.

“We grieved during Homecoming and this community grieves yet again,” said Grant, a 2011 graduate of the university.

The school, founded in 1896, is South Carolina’s only public historically Black university and has more than 2,900 current students, according to its website.

The university community recently marked the 58th anniversary of what has come to be called the Orangeburg Massacre: the killing of three young men on Feb. 8, 1968, when officers opened fire on a crowd of Black students who rallied on campus after demonstrating against segregation at a bowling alley.

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Associated Press