18-year-old charged in drug-deal shooting that killed two at S.C. State dorm

Eighteen-year-old Khamanti Lytrel Kennedy was charged with murder after SLED agents and local police say a Thursday night shooting inside a dormitory unit at the Hugine Suites residential complex on the South Carolina State University campus killed two men and wounded a student. The State Law Enforcement Division filed an arrest warrant that investigators used to bring the charge.

The two people who died were identified as Henry L. Crittington, 19, and Terrell Thomas, 18; neither was a South Carolina State University student. Officials say a third person in the room, described only as a student, was wounded and that the student’s name and medical condition have not been released.

The arrest warrant alleges Kennedy arrived at the university with three other people in a car the night of the shooting and that “the men got something out of their vehicle and the shooting happened during a drug deal over marijuana in the dorm room.” Court records show Kennedy was not a student at SC State and that he was out on bond from a September arrest for having a gun on campus.

The warrant filed by SLED said Kennedy “ran from the dorm room after the Thursday night shooting at the Hugine Suites housing complex.” The warrant also “did not identify who fired weapons,” leaving open which person or persons at the scene pulled the trigger or triggers.

Kennedy was arraigned Tuesday in Orangeburg County court and denied bond. At the arraignment he answered questions from the judge and did not appear to have a lawyer present, according to the court proceedings; prosecutors so far have charged him only with murder and additional charges have not been announced.

Campus officials say security upgrades implemented after an Oct. 4 homecoming shooting helped investigators identify a suspect in this case. University statements detail new surveillance camera coverage at Hugine Suites; the school also has imposed visitor restrictions that limit visitors to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., require security screening, and direct students to enter through a gate with IDs. The university is requesting $8 million from lawmakers for further security improvements, a new campus police station and additional officers.

Investigators and prosecutors still have key unanswered questions: who fired the weapon or weapons, the identity and condition of the wounded student, whether the three people who arrived together will face charges, and whether state or local prosecutors will add weapons or drug counts. Those items remain under investigation as Kennedy awaits further court action.