Two men were killed and a third was injured in a shooting at 9:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, 2026, on South Carolina State University’s campus in Orangeburg. (File photo/Getty Images)
ORANGEBURG — Two men were killed and a third was injured in a Thursday night shooting on South Carolina State University’s campus.
The shooting took place around 9:15 p.m. at the Hugine Suites student dormitory on the campus of the public historically Black university in Orangeburg.
The two victims who died — Henry Crittington, 19, of Orangeburg, and Terrell Thomas, 18, of Norway — were on campus visiting a student. The injured victim, an SC State student, remains hospitalized, according to a statement from the school.
The two teens died of apparent gunshot wounds, and the coroner will perform autopsies late next week, according to the Orangeburg County Coroner’s Office.
The S.C. State Law Enforcement Division is investigating.
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The campus went on lockdown overnight, but restrictions have since been lifted, according to college spokesman Sam Hall. The school cancelled classes through Monday, as well as all weekend campus events.
“Let me be clear: violence has no place in Orangeburg and it does not reflect who we are as a community,” Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler said in a statement. “Orangeburg is a city rooted in resilience, education, faith, and unity. Moments like this test us, but they also remind us of the importance of standing together.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, the students, faculty, and the entire university community during this incredibly difficult time,” Butler added.
This is the second gun-related tragedy to strike the school in less than five months.
A pair of shootings on Oct. 4, 2025, following the homecoming football game left a 19-year-old woman dead after she was shot outside a campus dorm. Another man was injured in a second, unrelated shooting that took place about a quarter-mile away. Neither of the victims were SC State students.
As of December, police had arrested four teens from the Midlands for carrying guns on campus. One of the men is accused of pulling a handgun from under the passenger seat of his vehicle and firing it twice during the shooting where a man was injured. But police have yet to connect anyone to the fatal dorm shooting, The Post and Courier reported.
State law prohibits people from bringing guns onto college campuses unless they have permission from the school or keep it securely locked within a vehicle. The “constitutional carry” law that Gov. Henry McMaster signed in 2024, which allows adults who can legally own a gun to carry it without a permit, kept it illegal to carry guns on the property of K-12 schools and colleges, both public and private.
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Meanwhile, university leadership is taking steps to improve safety on campus.
Richard Johnson, who has worked as the campus police chief at SC State since May, told legislators last fall that he needs more officers. The school is asking legislators to set aside about $1 million annually in the state budget to hire 12 new full-time police.
According to the school’s budget request, the department has been struggling to recruit and retain qualified officers.
The college has 10 full-time police officers. But he needs at least 16 — preferably 20, Johnson said during a House education committee meeting in September. His officers often work seven consecutive days for shifts that can stretch 12 to 18 hours. The school relies on an outside security firm for nightly patrols, he said.
The school already has security workers posted 24/7 at entrance gates and 135 security cameras campus wide, according to the school’s budget documents.
It’s asking for $3 million in one-time funds to fence in more of the campus so people must pass through the security gates when coming and going. It also wants to upgrade its cameras and sensor and add video analytics to alert police to incidents or potential problems faster.
Courtesy of South Carolina Daily Gazette
