In the quiet town of Orangeburg, South Carolina, the life of 19-year-old Henry L. Crittington was tragically cut short on the night of February 12, 2026. What began as a visit to the South Carolina State University campus ended in a fatal burst of gunfire within the walls of the Hugine Suites residential complex. Crittington, who was not a student at the university, was in a dorm room with others when the shooting erupted.
He, along with 18-year-old Terrell Thomas, succumbed to their injuries, while a third individual, a student at the university, was wounded in the altercation.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting sent a wave of shock and fear across the university, prompting an hours-long campus lockdown as law enforcement descended on the scene to piece together the events of that night. Investigators soon determined that the deadly encounter was not a random act of violence but stemmed from a dispute over a marijuana transaction. Witness statements painted a picture of a drug deal that had gone terribly wrong, leading to the tragic loss of two young lives.
Within days, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division announced a significant breakthrough in the case with the arrest of 18-year-old Khamanti Lytrel Kennedy. Kennedy, who was also not a student at the university, was charged with murder in connection with the deaths of Crittington and Thomas. It was revealed that Kennedy was already out on bond for a prior gun-related offense that had occurred on the same campus just months earlier. According to arrest warrants, Kennedy had arrived at the dorm with three other individuals shortly before the shooting took place.
