One person was killed and at least ten others were injured Saturday night after gunfire broke out during a Juneteenth event near a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Anderson County, South Carolina.
The shooting took place outside the VFW on Scarborough Road at approximately 10 pm, during what authorities said was the sixth annual Juneteenth celebration in the area, says the New York Post.
According to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, a fight among attendees escalated quickly, leading to a frantic scene as gunshots rang out and people fled.
Authorities identified the deceased as 35-year-old Laporshia Janae Gray Cobb of Anderson. She was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The coroner ruled her death a homicide. One person was flown to Greenville Memorial Hospital, while at least eight others were transported to local hospitals in Anderson and Greenville counties for treatment.
“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 had people that took off within their own cars in order to get to the hospital.”
Deputies and crime scene personnel spent several hours gathering evidence at the scene.
Shell casings were located throughout the area, and dozens of evidence markers were placed. Roads near the VFW were lined with parked vehicles and remained closed into Sunday morning as police towed several cars, including a state trooper’s cruiser that was reportedly hit while officers responded, Fox Carolina reported.
Witnesses described the moment gunfire erupted. “I just heard a bunch of pops,” one person said. Another individual described the event prior to the shooting: “We were coming together just to celebrate each other and enjoy one another. It was good. It was good up to that point.”
“Chaos is an understatement when it comes to this scene, which is why you see how large it is," Remien said.
The VFW post where the shooting happened nearby was not affiliated with the event itself, officials clarified. “The post does NOT have any affiliation with the event itself,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
No suspects have been named at this time. Authorities believe more than one person may have been involved in the shooting, but said the motive is still unknown. “We will be investigating for quite a while. This scene is far from being wrapped up,” Remien said.
“You can tell people are coming together for the right reasons,” he added, “but unfortunately, that took a turn very quickly.”
