Club shooting leaves two dead
Pair sought in S.C. violence; whether event legal in question
GREENVILLE, S.C. — A shooting at a nightclub Sunday left two people dead and eight wounded in South Carolina, a sheriff ’s official said.
Two Greenville County sheriff ’s deputies noticed a disturbance at Lavish Lounge just before 2 a.m. and saw a crowd running out of the building, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said at a news conference. There was “active gunfire from inside the building,” Lt. Jimmy Bolt said in an initial statement, and Lewis said all of the shots were fired inside.
“I was in bed and all of a sudden you hear this ‘Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!’ ” resident Mike Riley told the Greenville News. Riley said he heard four or five shots. He said he has been worried about the club before Sunday morning’s shooting — both about violence and whether the club is violating rules designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. He wants it shut down. “It’s a danger to everyone.”
No one was taken into custody. Bolt said the sheriff ’s office was looking for two suspects but couldn’t provide names or descriptions.
“We don’t really have a person of interest that we can name,” Lewis said at the news conference, later adding that authorities weren’t sure what led to the gunfire.
Lewis said a “very large crowd” was at the nightclub for “some type of concert.” A post on Lavish Lounge’s Facebook page advertised a July 4 performance by trap rapper Foogiano. A bookings representative said via text message that Foogiano was fine and his team was safe.
Coronavirus cases in South Carolina have risen swiftly and the state’s rate of positive tests is three times the recommended level. In late June, Greenville — which has experienced some of the state’s highest COVID-19 rates — became the first city to mandate face coverings in South Carolina.
South Carolina Gov. Henry Mcmaster reminded South Carolinians last week that he hadn’t lifted restrictions on large crowds and that those operating nightclubs illegally or holding concerts against his orders don’t have to be caught in the act to face criminal charges but could be charged weeks later if COVID-19 cases are traced back.
Lewis said at the news conference that he didn’t know whether the club had sought an exemption to the governor’s order or secured a permit for Saturday night’s event but said it was clear that the club’s patrons weren’t 6 feet apart.