|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by ERIN PARROTT
***
The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced this week that an arrest has been made following last week’s deadly dorm-room shooting at S.C. State University (SCSU) – a case that stunned students and once again raised safety concerns on the historically Black campus.
According to a release from the statewide agency on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), 18-year-old Khamanti Lytrel Kennedy has been charged with murder in connection with last week’s shooting inside the Hugine Suites residential complex at S.C. State.
Two victims died from their injuries. A third victim survived, but remains hospitalized.
S.C. State University’s public safety department requested SLED lead the criminal investigation – standard practice in major campus incidents.
***
RELATED | ANOTHER FATAL S.C. STATE SHOOTING LEAVES TWO DEAD
***
The Orangeburg County coroner’s office identified the two victims as 19-year-old Henry L. Crittington and 18-year-old Terrell Thomas. According to a probable cause affidavit accompanying the warrant for his arrest, witness statements gathered during the investigation indicated Kennedy had purchased marijuana shortly before the shooting.
Marijuana use at the Hugine Suites has been a serious issue in recent weeks. Just a week before the shooting, an online petition was launched urging SCSU to “protect non-smokers from secondhand marijuana smoke.”
“Dozens of non-smokers in Hugine Suites are dealing with the same daily reality—headaches, irritated eyes, disrupted sleep, and the stress of living in an environment they can’t control,” a social media post promoting the petition noted.
Kennedy’s arrest comes just days after the shooting rattled the Orangeburg community – and forced university officials to confront renewed concerns about student safety and after-hours security in residential facilities.
As FITSNews previously reported, the incident triggered lockdown procedures and an active police response as officers secured the dorm and searched for suspects. The case quickly became one of the most serious violent crimes at the university in recent years.
***
Last week’s shooting comes less than half a year after two separate shootings at S.C. State led to the death of a female victim and the hospitalization of a male victim. Those incidents remain under investigation.
The escalation of deadly violence on the school’s campus has parents concerned for the safety of their children.
SLED agents say the investigation remains ongoing – and additional charges could be possible as evidence is processed and witness interviews continue.
Kennedy was booked into the Orangeburg County detention center where he awaits prosecution by the S.C. first circuit solicitor’s office.
FITSNews will continue to follow developments – including court hearings, possible accomplice charges and any findings related to campus security failures – as investigators work to determine exactly how the violence unfolded inside student housing.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
1 comment
Am I the only one who has noticed that HBCU campuses are set up like prisons? Walled off campuses with a primary entry point that is manned by armed security guards. Security guards who will ask for ID, reason for entering, with potential vehicle searches. Isn’t that what they do at Broad River Correctional Facility? I don’t recall seeing this at USC, Clemson, Furman, Newberry, East Carolina, College of Charleston and yet SCSU still has more shootings than all of those schools combined. Time to shut down SCSU and get those students to safer colleges and universities.