A 14-year-old girl was fatally shot at what police have described as an “unauthorized concert” in North Charleston, South Carolina on Saturday.
13 other individuals were injured in the shooting that occurred around 10:30 p.m. on May 22 after a fight broke out near the stage at an “unannounced and unauthorized concert event within the neighborhood,” Deputy Chief Scott Deckard said.
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Some of the victims were treated at the scene before being transported to hospitals, NBC affiliate WCBD of Charleston reported. So far, no information has been released about the shooting suspects, as multiple gunmen reportedly fired into the crowd. North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess said the “individuals who were angry with each other didn’t care who got hit.”
Authorities have not released the name of the teen victim, nor are they saying whether the shooters are in custody and how many were involved. Burgess confirmed that he knows the family of the victim.
“The neighbors were having a cookout or whatever you want to call it,” said James McClam, a longtime resident. “Some girls from another area, who didn’t live here, came and, before you know it, a doggone argument started. And the next thing you know, bullets are flying.”
McClam said his daughter attended the party but left before the shooting. “It’s terrible what’s going on. I don’t know if restricted gun laws would make it better, but there are just too many youngsters walking around with guns.”
The incident reportedly occurred off Gaillard Lane and North Jimtown Drive, where organizers of the cookout set up a stage, food booths, and a Tiki Bar. They even had security on hand. The one thing they failed to do was notify the police in advance about the event.
“This is ground zero, where the event took place,” Burgess told reporters during a press conference at the scene. “If we had known about it, we probably would have been able to save lives.”
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Burgess said “multiple shooters” fired into the crowd, but he declined to confirm how many.
“It was set up like a concert,” he said of the cookout. “This should have never happened. If you want to serve alcohol and make money off it, you can’t do that on private property unless it’s your place of business. So it was illegal all the way.”
At the press conference, several activists urged witnesses to work with local police to help solve the crime.
“We don’t want this (violence) to get out of hand like in Chicago,” said Elder James Johnson of the Racial Justice Network.
Police have not released descriptions of any suspects, according to the report.
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