On February 12, at 9:15 pm, gunfire silenced the South Carolina State University. The incident took place at the Hugine Suites, a student residential complex on campus. And as soon as it happened, the entire campus went into an immediate lockdown. Authorities lifted the lockdown at 5:00 am and reported that two individuals had died, and another suffered injuries.

The identities of the deceased and the condition of the wounded have not yet been publicly released. But the entire University and fans are in a terrible shock right now. The University has asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to lead the investigation into this matter. The detectives and authorities remain on site to search for clues and narrow down the suspects.

The only probable eyewitness, Kaya Mack, was on campus when the shooting happened. She had just completed a food delivery on campus when the incident happened, and described the entire situation to the authorities.

“Their loud sirens kind of shook me,” she said to WLTX-TV. “We were looking around, other people on campus, and me, we’re all looking around like ‘What’s going on?’”

Just after this incident, the University cancelled all its classes for today and has advised the students to stay indoors. This incident marked the third violent incident since last October. During homecoming celebrations last fall, two separate shootings occurred. And one of them was at the same student housing location that resulted in one death and two injuries.

Following the October shootings, school officials put in some safety measures like a monitored entry point for events, increased camera monitoring, and enhanced emergency communication protocols. But it made no difference. Following this chain of events, the university will provide counseling services to help students cope. That’s a really good approach taken by the school, keeping in mind its historical presence as one of the two Black universities in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

Fans paid tributes after the shooting incident took two lives

This shooting incident at South Carolina State has shaken the entire country. Let’s take a look at what the fans have to say about this.

“Oh no, that’s absolutely heartbreaking. Prayers for the families and the wounded. This has to stop,” a fan wrote.

At South Carolina State, this is the third time these shootings have occurred. As discussed, last year, during October, a similar incident happened during homecoming celebrations in a student housing location. Authorities found one person dead and reported that two others suffered serious injuries.

Authorities identified 19-year-old Jaliyah Butler as the victim of the October shootings. They have not yet released the names of those who died in yesterday’s shooting.

“Another shooting, when will this stop?” Another fan chimed in.

Since the last academic year, at least 13 reported shooting incidents on or near HBCU campuses have occurred. It is directly tied to the football season’s social calendar. The actual number of shooting incidents that occurred is 64 at various colleges and universities. High-profile non-football events included a mass shooting at Brown University (December 13, 2025) that left two dead and eight injured.

“Violence on a college campus shakes an entire community. Wishing strength, healing, and clarity, as authorities investigate,” another fan added.

Exposure to violence, even if you are not injured during the incident, can spike mental disorders like PTSD, anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Events like these destroy the “safe haven” ideal of a university. And after Claflin University, South Carolina State is the second historically important HBCU school in the state. More than 3000 students enroll there, and they need to feel safe.

“This tragedy is heartbreaking. Students deserve safety on campus. Lives lost to senseless violence demand accountability and urgent prevention,” another fan wrote.

South Carolina State did install some safety measures after the October shootings. Measures like controlled entry points for events, increased camera monitoring, and enhanced emergency communication protocols were all in place; however, another shooting still occurred.