Student killed near S.C. campus; Gunman at large

Scene of shooting near Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C., which says 19-year-old sophomore Anthony Liddell was killed on night of Feb. 26, 2013. The gunman was still at large early the next morning. / WBTW-TV/CBS

Updated 3:00 p.m. ET

CONWAY, S.C. A student at Coastal Carolina University died after a shooting near the campus, and despite having no suspect in custody, there does not appear to be an immediate threat to others, school officials said Wednesday.

Anthony Darnell Liddell, 19, a sophomore from Bennettsville, died after the shooting around 7:20 p.m. Tuesday at a residence hall near the school's Conway, S.C. campus, Coastal Carolina University spokeswoman Martha Hunn said. Liddell was taken to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach where he died.

CBS affiliate WBTW-TV reports that an autopsy completed Wednesday morning shows Liddell died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

The State Law Enforcement Division was leading the search and investigation, and agency spokesman Thom Berry said officers were still interviewing witnesses and trying to identify a suspect.

The school issued an alert using email and text messages around 8 p.m. and residence halls were locked down overnight. But there was no apparent threat to students, faculty or staff on campus, Coastal Department of Public Safety Police Chief David Roper said.

Classes were held as planned Wednesday and CCU Counseling Services professionals and ministers were to be on hand to provide assistance to students.

Kaitlin Eriksen, who lives at University Place residence hall, told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach she was inside her apartment when she heard four or five shots. Eriksen said she went to her balcony to see where the shots came from and saw a man fall against the back of a car's rear window.

"He took about two steps back and then collapsed. He just fell out there," Eriksen said.

Students who live near the crime scene told WBTW-TV they heard gunfire.,/p>

"I just saw someone laying on the ground it was just really scary, I've never seen anything like that," Katrina Schuleski told the station.

According to the school's website, University Place houses nearly 2,000 students.

Coastal Carolina University has an enrollment of more than 9,000 students. The liberal arts school was founded in 1954.

[BuckeyeChuck]

Another legal gun owner just exercising his 2nd amendment right to killer people.

[old_bard]

Guns make men too brave for the good of others, and guns make it entirely too easy to kill and violate the 6th commandment. You Christians who support all of this gun lobby stuff are guilty of murder! And don't throw up the abortion issue to me. Republicans brought legalized abortion on America in 1973 through a Republican President and a Republican appointed Supreme Court. Don't dare blame Democrats for your horrible messes!!!!!!

[EmBrz17]

old_bard: you really believe those who acquire and own guns illegally and intend to commit crimes will surrender them voluntarily for your sake? You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?

The abortion point is breathtakingly stupid. The party affiliations of the POTUS has nothing to do with Roe v. Wade. That was a Supreme Court decision - and Presidents of both parties have appointed both left and right leaning justices, if you knew anything about the history of the court. But all you seem to be interested in doing is labeling people and pointing fingers. The fact remains that 50 million innocent babies have been killed since 1973. Your foolish attempt to "blame" one party over another is just proof of your inability or refusal to see the facts flat on. At teh end of the day the two issues have nothing to do with one another so your linking them is pointless. Take your stool softener already.

[signseeker1717]

Nobody, get real - when's the last time a US family got "slaughtered" with a "machete"? How many machetes ARE there in the US? When's the last time someone was murdered with a GUN? Somewhere in the US - RIGHT NOW.

"A lot of people NEED to be killed"?! You have serious anger issues, sir, and should seek help before your hurt someone.

[lfitts2]

Guns make it easy to kill...plain and simple...get rid of the guns..much harder to kill others..simple facts...too complex for the NRA who are shills for the gun manufacturers

[signseeker1717]

There's ONE item that is REPEATEDLY instrumental in scenarios of death, mayhem and murder, and it's GUNS. And THAT is a fact.

[johnlockesghost]

UNITEDMAJORITY: Blame it on the guns, not on the lunatics using them.

[sickofwhiners]

Nowhere in the story did it say the shooter was a kid.

[unitedmajority]

Kids running around with guns, of course people are going to die from that and the ones running around with guns will be going to prison. Great thing these guns, not.