FLORENCE, SC – Within one week, the Florence Police Department has investigated four shootings across the city.
Sunday night’s shooting sent two men to the hospital and caused Carolinas Hospital to operate on lockdown.
The shooting happened on Partridge Drive in Florence, and residents there are now concerned for their safety.
Kay Riordan says the small Florence neighborhood is one where families can be seen out exercising and spending time together, not one you would think to be under investigation for a late-night shooting.
“It seems to be a nice neighborhood. I would have never thought there would be a drive-by through here,” said Riordan.
Riordan says she walks along Partridge Drive every day after work and says with the recent shootings around Florence, it’s hard to feel safe in her own neighborhood.
“Well, it’s scary. I’m out here by myself, and you know, I want to feel safe when I am out to take a little walk. I don’t want to have to feel like I’ve got to have someone with me or be too afraid to step outside,” said Riordan.
While Riordan says a higher police presence around Florence would make her feel safer, others like Brandon Washington disagree.
“As far as just the police sitting in my community, I’m not really for that,” said Washington.
Washington lives across the street from a separate shooting that happened last Tuesday in Florence, and he says additional police around the city wouldn’t help because the crimes are not related.
“I don’t think neither one of them is related. I think they’re all different to be honest. Everybody goes through a lot, there’s just a lot of drama going on, man. I just try my best to stay away from it,” said Washington.
Major Carlos Raines with the Florence Police Department says all of the shootings are under investigation, and at this time they are treating each of the crimes as unrelated.
Raines did say they believe the shooting Sunday night was related to some prior crime in the Florence area but would not say which one.
