by ERIN PARROTT
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More than a year after a deadly shooting rocked the campus of South Carolina State University (SCSU) during its 2025 Homecoming weekend, state investigators say they are still working to determine who killed 19-year-old Jaliyah Butler.
The S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) issued an update Monday (October 5, 2026) confirming its investigation into Butler’s death remains ongoing. The agency was called in to investigate at the request of the university’s Department of Public Safety.
Butler was killed on October 4, 2025, during S.C. State’s Homecoming festivities in Orangeburg, S.C. Her death was one of two shootings reported on the university’s campus that evening – incidents that prompted a lockdown and an extensive law enforcement response.
As FITSNews reported at the time, SLED initially said the first shooting left a female victim dead, while a separate shooting resulted in a male victim being hospitalized. Investigators said at the time the two incidents were not believed to be connected, although both investigations remained active.
Butler was subsequently identified as the victim of the fatal shooting.
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According to SLED’s latest update, investigators have charged multiple individuals who were found in possession of firearms on campus around the time Butler was killed.
Those arrests have yet to lead investigators to the person they believe is responsible for her death, however.
“The person responsible for Jaliyah Butler’s death has not been identified at this time,” the agency said.
SLED did not identify the individuals who have been charged in connection with possessing firearms on campus, nor did the agency provide additional details regarding those cases in Monday’s release.
The latest announcement comes almost exactly one year after the shooting — and underscores the unanswered questions that remain surrounding Butler’s death.
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RELATED | ANOTHER FATAL SHOOTING AT S.C. STATE
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At the time of the October 2025 shootings, S.C. State officials told students and parents the campus had been placed on lockdown and confirmed the university’s public safety department had requested SLED investigate.
SLED public information director Renée Wunderlich later confirmed to FITSNews that investigators were handling two separate shootings. Now, a year later, the central question in Butler’s case remains unresolved: Who fired the shot that killed her?
SLED is asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact investigators at (866) 472-8477 or by email at tips@sled.sc.gov.
FITSNews will continue following this investigation and provide updates as additional information regarding Butler’s death – and the search for the person responsible – becomes available.
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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.
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