SC State

Non-Student Guest Shoots Visitor in Hugine Suites, Triggering Lockdown at SC State

Friday, December 1, 2023SCshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence

Confirmed Threat

On the evening of December 1, 2023, a man was shot near Hugine Suites dormitory at South Carolina State University's Orangeburg campus at approximately 7:24 p.m. Neither the victim nor the shooter were enrolled students -- both were guests of a resident. The campus was placed on lockdown as police searched for the suspect, who fled the scene. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the upper torso and survived.

Alerts: 2
Response: —
Killed: —
Injured: —

Institution

South Carolina State University

Hbcu · SC

SC State Emergency Alert

Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTwebApproximately 7:30 PM EST on December 1, 2023

Approximate reconstruction269 chars

Shots fired at Hugine Suites. Campus is on lockdown. Hugine Suites residents stay put. Residents not at the complex report to Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. Students in other residence halls return to your rooms. Off-campus residents leave campus immediately.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The university issued differentiated lockdown instructions for four different student populations simultaneously: Hugine Suites residents, non-Hugine students, other residence hall students, and off-campus students

This tiered shelter instruction is notable for its operational specificity -- rare among campus alert texts

The incident occurred in Building F of the Hugine Suites complex on South Carolina State's Orangeburg campus

ALL CLEARwebLate evening of December 1, 2023

Approximate reconstruction103 chars

The lockdown has been lifted. The campus is safe. SC State Police continue to investigate the incident.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The suspect had fled campus before police arrived; the all-clear was issued after a sweep of the campus confirmed no ongoing threat

SC State Police continued their investigation after the lockdown was lifted

Context

Background

South Carolina State University is a public HBCU in Orangeburg, South Carolina, with approximately 2,800 students. The Hugine Suites is a residential complex on campus that has been the site of multiple shootings over the years. On December 1, 2023, a fight broke out inside Building F of Hugine Suites between two nonstudent guests who were visiting a resident. The shooter fired a handgun into the victim's upper torso at approximately 7:24 p.m. EST, then fled campus on foot. SC State Police issued a campus-wide lockdown notice with differentiated instructions for residents based on their location. The victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The shooter was later identified as Azaurien Ghykes Haigler, 18, of Denmark, South Carolina, who was arrested on December 12, 2023, and charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime, and trespassing. The case illustrated a recurring challenge at SC State: non-student visitors gaining access to residence halls and becoming involved in violence. The December 2023 shooting was one of at least five incidents at Hugine Suites over the prior 6.5 years.

Provenance

Sources

News
1 person injured in shooting at South Carolina State University -- WRDW Augusta
wrdw.com
News
Man arrested in connection to SC State University shooting -- Live 5 News
live5news.com
News
Former SC State student charged in 2023 shooting -- WRDW
wrdw.com

Alert Sequence

Background

Sources

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