Sheriff: 3 NC victims shot at York County party near Lake Wylie and Clover
Editor’s note: The York County Sheriff’s Office has described the shootings as linked to a Juneteenth celebration. Saturday was the Juneteenth holiday but The Herald has been unable to verify whether the shootings were connected to Juneteenth events. This story has been updated.
Two shootings, one that left three people injured, in York County on Saturday night are being investigated, officials said.
The shootings were reported late Saturdayin the Oakridge community between Lake Wylie and Clover, said Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office. The area is south of the North Carolina state line.
No arrests have been made in either shooting as of 9 a.m. Sunday.
“We have several detectives and deputies working these cases to determine what happened and why,” Faris told The Herald Sunday morning.
Three hurt, including teen
Three victims were shot around 11:30 p.m. Saturday after people had gathered for a celebration near Oakridge Road and Bellaire Circle, Faris said. Deputies responded to the area after a 911 call about multiple gunshots, Faris said.
All three victims are from Gaston County, North Carolina, Faris said. Two of them were found at a hospital in Gastonia. A third victim, a 17-year-old man, was transported to Atrium Health Center in Charlotte for his injuries, Faris said.
Deputies found several cars were also hit by gunfire, Faris said.
The sheriff’s office sent multiple teams of detectives to the scene and to the hospitals to gather information and evidence, Faris said.
In a news release, the sheriff’s office described getting 911 calls about gunfire at a Juneteenth celebration. The Herald has been unable to verify what type of gathering was taking place and how many people attended Saturday.
Keron Meeks, the event coordinator for Saturday’s Juneteenth Freedom Walk event in Clover, said the shooting happened at a separate celebration closer to Lake Wylie.
“The shooting incident did not occur on our watch or at our event,” Meeks told The Herald. “We had absolutely nothing to do with what happened in Lake Wylie. Our event was extremely peaceful.”
Meeks said after the freedom walk at 9 a.m., community members gathered for a celebration in Roosevelt Community Park in Clover around 5 p.m. He said those who attended the celebration all left the park before 9 p.m.
“We are praying for the families that were affected by the events last night,” Meeks said.
Separate road rage shooting nearby
About a half hour earlier, deputies responded to a separate shooting nearby, Faris said. A man told deputies he had been shot at while driving in what appears to be a road rage incident, Faris said.
The man told deputies a car, with Georgia license plates, that was leaving the same event around 10:55 p.m. abruptly pulled out in front of his car, Faris said. The man honked his horn and flashed headlights at the other vehicle, Faris said.
Soon after, the other car pulled beside the man and someone in it fired shots into the side of his car, according to a press release from the sheriff’s office.
The man had three passengers in his car, including his wife and two young children, ages 11 and 8. A bullet hole was found in the right rear passenger door next to the seat where one of the children was sitting, the press release said.
No one was hit by the bullets, Faris said.
