Photo by David Rogers
Anderson City Police officers along with Anderson County Sheriffs deputies investigate a shooting incident early Sunday morning.
ANDERSON COUNTY — A 16-year-old girl was treated and released from AnMed Health Medical Center Sunday after she was shot in the forehead outside of a birthday party.
The shooting occurred at 3025 N. Main St. outside a Quality Inn at 12:15 a.m., said Randall Williams, a spokesman for the City of Anderson Police Department. The bullet grazed the 16-year-old’s head and she received two stitches. She ran across the street and to McDonald’s before she was picked up by an EMS unit, he said.
The 16-year-old was at a birthday party being held by a male juvenile in the hotel’s banquet hall before fights started outside and shots rang out, Williams said. There were at least three groups involved in fights at the hotel.
“It is an active investigation,” Williams said. “We attempting to determine who fired the shots.”
A second juvenile was assaulted before being treated and released Sunday from AnMed.
Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper said officials from his department responded to the scene. The City of Anderson Police Department and MedShore EMS were also at the scene, Williams said.
Members of the Gang Task Force, a joint entity between the city police and sheriff’s office, are investigating the incident.
Williams said he could not say whether it was a gang-related incident.
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Comments » 23
js2008 writes:
The Gang Task Force has its work cut out for them. We need to come down hard on these thugs before they take over our town
indiereader writes:
Especially juvenile "thugs" that rent banquet halls in local hotels. Businesses that support this type of behavior need to answer some questions as well.
jrb1953 writes:
The sad thing is that the motel involved has tried to keep going and this is just going to make it more difficult for them.
Niblits writes:
It's too bad law enforcement has to wait until gang members commit murder and other serious crimes before they can be apprehended and locked up. Unfortunately they can't be all rounded up and sent someplace where they can't harm others, like Guantanamo Bay.
01fordeb writes:
Why would the hotel rent out to a young boy. Whoever let this happen should be accounted for also. Look at the time, 12:15 am. Someone knows something and someone rented it for the party to happen. Yes, we have gangs here, but these are "want to be VIOLENT gangs" they have no idea what a gang represents. It could be gang related, but doubtful. These are young punks, that are the very ones that will have my RIGHTS taken away to own or carrying of a firearm. They want to carry a pistol, send their "you know what over seas and let them fight for their freedom to come back home. But they must stay until the war is over. Send our sons and daughters home that deserve to be home with family.
Calcal writes:
You hit it right 01...these kiddies who are shooting up other kiddies are the ones that are gonna mess up law abiding gun owners. Too much of this, whats causing it? Whats going on in the homes? Wheres the parents? I was told that possibly on our future income tax the government was gonna require that gun owners list their serial numbers on all guns in homes. It looks like good citizens are the ones targeted by the government and these stupid thugs will continue their terrorist acts. Now in Anderson you better be home by dark.
YesWEcan writes:
An adult had to rent this room at the hotel. It is so sad that the young people are acting like gangsters and innocent people are being injured and/or killed in the crossfire. I WILL NOT allow my teenagers to go to teen parties or clubs for this reason. They think I'm being somewhat controlling, but I'm trying to protect them while I can. I don't even like dropping them off at HS football games (but i do), I'm trying to get the 18 yr old prepared for the "real" world! She'll start college next fall and I won't be around to control where she goes or does. My concerns/worry will be off the charts.
1catlover writes:
And I'll bet dollars to donuts the majority of county council STILL sez there is NO gang activity, NO gang members, and NO criminal activity linked to GANGS!!! ANYONE PUT THE PROXIMITY TO APPLEBEES TOGETHER YET, WHERE THE last DRIVE-BY WAS DONE? And not far from the K-mart parking lot either.
Whats it going to take for our leadership to be PROACTIVE in this rising tide of crime and youth activity with gangs? Unless one of them are directly affected, I say nothing will be done while they hunt for beer receipts and bad accounting practices.
Denial: Not just a river in Egypt!
bigred5454 writes:
This ia a very sad incident, Everyone want to know what can be done to stop this, its sad but things are going to get worse. There's an old saying "It takes a village to raise a child" today there are no villages. There was a time when teachers or next door neighbors could discipline a child, but today no one wants to be involved. DSS makes it even harder when they investigate discipline as abuse. The Gang Task Force had a community meeting last week, that should have been a priority article for the AIM but it wasn't. Now someone gets shot and it's front page. We need VILLAGES to raise our children
raymond.edwards#267050 writes:
You don't need a village! You need 2 parent households that actually raise thier kids with good old fashioned values. Otherwise, those kids prey on the village and the village idiots.....
1catlover writes:
Oh PLEASE dont prey upon those idiots! Then we'd have nobody to stand up each and every time ( repeatedly at times) to blow butterfly kisses and effervescent gobbledeegook at their beloved Mary, Edwin, Tom and BOD!
Good gawd, we'd be in a turrible fix then, Auntie M. Nobody to tell us what to do next. There are no problems except those we made and are hunting for!! No gangs. No job loss. No reduced revenues. Nothing short of idiocy. "Witch" way do we go now? Just about of time and money ( well, TIME anyways, there's ALWAYS more money to squeeze us for).
That'd simply be an AWFUL thing to happen....Silence of the Council idiots!
Then they'd HAVE to think for themselves, and we know THAT can't be done without a prepared speech, a crafted camera glance, a threat to civil servants, and a puppeteer with his hand down someone's trousers and in someone else's pockets.
We should all be so lucky, that this gang problem doesn't exist.
"SOON" Elections coming "SOON"
firefighter4life writes:
I want to Know what kind of parents would like their 16 year old child go to a party at a motel at 12 am. That just show how unfit the parent is.
tdonsin writes:
The banquet room was gotten by an adult and it was chaparoned. They even checked for weapons on invited party goers. Kids congregated outside that was not invited and they started fighting. The parents did what they were supposed to do but the newspaper will not tell the whole story.
yankee writes:
"They even checked for weapons on invited party goers." -tdonsin
If you have to frisk your friends when they attend your party, you may want to rethink who you call a friend.
tdonsin writes:
Parents dont always know who their kids are friends with or everyone they invited to a party. These were 17,18,19 year olds and the paper stated that everything that happened happened outside the party, not inside.
anywho writes:
Yankee---Frisking them was showing that they were not going to tolerate any thing inside of the party. It does not mean they needed to check their friends. You have no clue what your kids have. When is the last time you checked your childs room???? You probably havent and they probably will be one of the ones shooting up the schools or shooting up a party!!!! Please think before you put something ignorant on here. They did everything they felt was possible to protect the kids that were invited. They can not control who was in the parking lot or what they had in their cars. However they did make sure no one was bringing any weapons inside to their childs party. What else was there for them to do????
01fordeb writes:
I'm a parent and I feel I should have the right to knock my child rear frame out, if they want to walk around like an idiot and show disrespect. No, not here you'll be right at the county hokey poky. We have no control over our kids now-days, it all lies in the governments hand. If they would let the parents swat their bottom side or a couple of stiff whippings (without serious injure)they county would not be this full of pistol whipping kids, that don't know how much power or damage that one small bullet can do. They don't realize what kind of trouble it will get them in. Young and act before thinking. For some reason they feel the need to show off in front of people, if you want to show me. Take your shirts off and fight it out like a man and quiet being a pistol pointing wimp. At least your fine for fighting won't be as high, maybe $1500 compared to $1500 for unlawful carrying of firearm, $1000 for pointing and presenting, $1500 for possession of stolen property, $1000 for under age possession of firearm. $5000 for shooting toward or into a dwelling. $1500 for discharging firearm within city limits, court fees, PTI fees (MAYBE), lawyer fees, reimbursement fees to to victim/s. It can go on and on. So to all you thugs that are trying to read these comments, take off your rag and your thug glasses, pull up your pants and carry yourself like you have some life left in you, if you feel you don't, murder yourself so we don't have to keep you idiots locked away for life.
yankee writes:
If you don't know what is in your teenage kids room, you are an idiot.
If you have to frisk invited partygoers for weapons, to your child's birthday party, you shouldn't be throwing a party.
Let's hope these same parents have no other teenagers. If so, let's hope they don't throw another "safe" party.
bigred5454 writes:
I agree with you 100% Yankee probable don't have kids. Its easy to sit back and pass judgement on others if you don't have to walk in their shoes. Guest were frisked to keep trouble out of the party which it did. The hotel is responsible for security outside of the party room.
youwannasite#226436 writes:
IN REPLY TO:
The Gang Task Force had a community meeting last week, that should have been a priority article for the AIM but it wasn't. Now someone gets shot and it's front page. We need VILLAGES to raise our children
-------------------------------
AIM's PRIORITY GANG ARTICLE FOR TODAY was about Los Angeles... That should be sufficient right?
If the lawmakers and the cops can't get a hold on things it's up to the community to band together to make it better, sadly the only way we can do that is vote out who is in power now and replace them (99% sure it will be the same type going in as coming out though). So yeah, it will never get fixed.
Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what goes on in the hood.. -Boyz N The Hood
eaglewingstf writes:
I have teens. All of their friends hang out at my house. I don't have to worry so much about where my kids are and what they are doing since they are usually here. Some adult "friends" have made comments to me..."we don't see how you put up with all the teens at your house all the time.", etc. Well... this story is a good reason why I am proud that my kids friends feel welcome and comfortable enough to hang out at my house. They know the rules and are happy to abide by them. The worst thing some of them do is smoke cigarettes. I am sooo very proud. There are some kids in this area that still have self respect and know how to enjoy each others company with a movie or a bonfire. They don't have to have guns... booze... drugs... If my kids friends want to hang out at my house... They are welcome to do so. I worry a lot less than those parents of teens who do not have any idea where their teens are or who they might be hangin with or where...
I'm just sayin'...parental involvement is paramount with teens. Or... they will get involved in things they shouldn't.
ladyrams2010 writes:
In response to everyone it was a birthday party and parent supervision was there what happened outside of the party has nothing to do with was going on inside of the party.
eaglewingstf writes:
I would like to clarify something. From my previous post, it may sound as if I am blaming the parents. I am not in any way saying it is their fault that teens who were not involved in the party showed up and caused problems. I was trying to respond to other posts concerning what the teens were doing today. It seems ppl are quick to lump all teens into the same category. It is never a good idea to generalize comments towards a group of people. I merely wanted to point out that there are some really good teens that are not being lifted up while the bad ones give all teens a bad name.
My understanding of the situation is that the parents did their part in planning a special event for their kids. It should have been one that made for great memories and a fun time. Instead, some people (who were not a part of the party) invaded their celebration and wreaked havoc. It is truly a sad time in our society when you cant plan a birthday party without someone interfering in such a violent way. I just hope the police are able to bring about justice and these kids that want to play bad... get their recess taken away. Too much idle time on their hands. Make them work with those hands in a way that helps rebuild the community they are trying to tear down.
We, as parents, can only do so much. We raise our kids and try to protect them. We try to instill values that will make them productive members of society. Once they become of an age of accountability... we pray they make good choices. Some do; some don't. Some use every excuse in the book as a crutch for their wrongdoing. Let's lift up the good ones so they know they are making good choices and they won't stray into that realm of violence and chaos.
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