US rocked by 3 mass shootings during Easter weekend; 2 dead

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HAMPTON, S.C. (AP) — Authorities in South Carolina say they are investigating shooting at a club in Hampton County early Sunday that left at least nine people injured. It was the third mass shooting in the U.S. over the Easter holiday weekend.

The State Law Enforcement Division said in an email there were no reported fatalities in the early shooting at the club in Hampton County. No information was immediately available on the severity of the injuries. The SLED says it was asked to investigate by the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office. Hampton County is roughly 80 miles (about 129 kilometers) west of Charleston.

In Pittsburgh, meanwhile, two minors were killed and at least eight people were injured during a shooting at a house party. The shooting, which followed an altercation, happened around 12:30 a.m. during a party at a short-term rental property where hundreds of people had gathered — the “vast majority” of them underage, Chief Scott Schubert of the Pittsburgh police department told reporters.

The shootings on Sunday come just a day after gunfire erupted at a busy mall in the state capital of Columbia. Nine people were shot and five people were injured while trying to flee the scene at Columbiana Centre, Columbia Police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook said Saturday. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73.

The Columbia Police Department announced the arrest of 22-year-old Jewayne M. Price, who was one of three people initially detained by law enforcement as a person of interest in the mall shooting. Price is scheduled to have a bond hearing at 2 p.m. Sunday on charges of unlawful carrying of a pistol. It is not immediately known if Price has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Police said the 73-year-old victim continues to receive medical treatment, but the other victims have been released from local hospitals or will be released shortly.

“We don’t believe this was random,” Holbrook said. “We believe they knew each other and something led to the gunfire.”