A drive-by shooting at a graduation celebration in South Carolina left one adult female killed and seven others wounded, including multiple minors, authorities said.
“There were at least 60 to 70 rounds fired at this incident. It is not clear, as of yet, if some of these rounds may have been returning fire from some of the subjects at the party,” the Clarendon County Sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Authorities said the shooting, which happened shortly after 11 p.m. on June 4 in the Summerton area of Clarendon County, is believed to be gang-related stemming from previous drive-by shootings in other parts of the county.
The wounded victims include five minors: a 12-year-old, a 14-year-old, two 15-year-olds, and a 17-year-old. Two adults, aged 32 and 36, were also hit by the gunfire. A 32-year-old woman died from her injuries early on June 5, the sheriff’s office said.
“We are and will continue to work on this incident until arrests are made on the persons responsible. These acts of violence cannot continue. Innocent children and adults are suffering the consequences of these acts!” officials said.
According to witnesses, two vehicles approached the residence where the party was held and opened fire, one of the cars drove into the yard, while the other vehicle stayed on the highway. After a flurry of bullets, the two cars sped off.
It is unclear if shots were fired at specific people or at random, authorities said. About 150 people were in the yard when police arrived.
The deceased woman has been identified as Audrionna Kind by a coroner, WISTV reported.
A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up by Kind’s cousin in support of her memory and funeral. The mother of five is described on the page as a selfless person who’d put “a lot of people before herself and made sure they were good … before she made sure she was good.”
“I’m going to miss everything about her, everything,” her cousin, Alonso Felder, told WISTV.
The Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information that may help with the case to call 803-435-4414.