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Police and prosecutors in Orangeburg, South Carolina are reportedly close to making an arrest in connection with an unsolved homicide that took place in the city on the evening of Saturday, August 31, 2024.
That night, 31-year-old Shaquille Swinton was found bleeding from a gunshot wound behind a Walgreens drug store located off of John C. Calhoun Drive in downtown Orangeburg. Despite efforts to save his life, Swinton succumbed to his injuries.
Days after the murder, Orangeburg police chief Charles P. Austin Sr. told reporter Victoria Samuels of WLTX TV-19 (CBS – Columbia, S.C.) his agency had identified a “person of interest” in connection with the shooting.
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Sources familiar with the situation say investigators with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety (ODPS) – who are leading the inquiry – and prosecutors in the office of S.C. first circuit solicitor David Pascoe have made significant progress in their efforts to identify Swinton’s killer and bring them to justice.
Not only is an arrest imminent, we are told, but the story surrounding the shooting is expected to spark significant interest in the case – which drew scant initial media attention and has produced precisely zero follow-up stories.
“It’s going to be a whole thing,” a source familiar with the case told FITSNews.
While the investigation appears to be approaching a point of critical mass, as of this writing the case remains unsolved and the investigation remains open – meaning anyone with information should submit a tip to SCCrimestoppers.com or call 1-888-CRIME-SC.
Count on FITSNews to provide our audience with updated information on this case just as soon as it is available…
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ABOUT THIS SERIES…
Unsolved Carolinas – sponsored by our friends at Bamberg Legal – is devoted to highlighting cases which have fallen off the front page. In every unsolved case, someone out there could know something that provides a missing link – a critical clue that could bring peace to a family in pain and help them write the next chapter of their stories. If you know someone who is missing – or has been a victim of an unsolved homicide – email their story to research@fitsnews.com.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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