BOWMAN, S.C. (AP) - Officials in a South Carolina county plan to review the response to a deadly shooting at a Memorial Day cookout to determine whether emergency responders followed all necessary protocols.
Three people - Austin Lee Benjamin, 17, Malik Glover, 24, and Antonio Smith, 19 - were fatally shot early Tuesday morning at the gathering in Bowman, Orangeburg County Coroner Samuetta Marshall told The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg.
Five others were injured in the shooting, news outlets reported.
Dionne Summers lives in Bowman and heard the gunfire from her living room, WIS-TV reported. She said she called 911 three times about the shooting.
“We kept calling asking when EMS is coming because it was critical. It seemed like it took them forever,” she said.
The first call to 911 at 1:06 a.m. reported gunfire at the gathering, Orangeburg County EMS Director Stephanie Givens told The Times and Democrat. Dispatchers didn’t learn that someone may have been shot until 1:15 a.m., Givens said.
It had been a busy day and night for EMS workers, who “saw nearly nine deaths in a 24-hour period,” Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young said.
Young told the newspaper that he, Givens and County Risk Manager Todd Williams would look into the EMS response in Bowman and make adjustments if all protocols weren’t followed.
“We need the local folks to get involved. We have to have community involvement,” Williams said.
No arrests were immediately announced in the fatal shooting. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division was investigating.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.