2 Greenville families killed in Alaska crash
Two Greenville families were among the dead in a July 7 Alaska plane crash, The State reported.
One of the families lived next door to state Rep. Bruce Bannister, R-Greenville. The two families were aboard an air taxi that crashed and burned at a small Alaska airport. All 10 passengers died, and the pilot was the only passenger not from South Carolina. They were en route to a Lake Clark National Park bear preserve as a part of a family vacation.
Fire consumed the plane after the crash and prevented firefighters from immediately reaching those inside, an Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman told the Associated Press.
This crash follows another Alaskan accident that claimed the lives of two Upstate residents, John Ellenberg, of Greenville, and Laurie Buckner, of Simpsonville. The two died in a June 28 crash near Cantwell, Alaska.
— Amanda Coyne, Editor-in-Chief
Gang members arrested in woman’s death
Three teenagers with known gang affiliations have been arrested in the shooting death of a mother of four, the Columbia Police Department announced Monday.
Troy Stevenson and Lorenzo Young, both 18, and an unnamed 16-year-old have been charged with murder, kidnapping, attempted armed robbery and criminal conspiracy. Stevenson and Young have also been charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Kelly Hunnewell, 33, was killed early on the morning of July 1 shortly after arriving for work at an off-site bakery for Carolina Cafe. The three men tried to rob a nearby private club, but it was closed, so they moved on to the bakery at 13 Tommy Circle, interim police chief Ruben Santiago said. No money was kept at the bakery, as nothing was sold there.
— Amanda Coyne, Editor-in-Chief
4-year-old struck by stray bullet Monday
A stray bullet from a car-to-car gang shootout hit a 4-year-old girl Monday evening, WIS reported. The girl is in stable but critical condition.
The girl was watching TV around 8 p.m. when the stray bullet came into the house and struck her in the lower back.
Police think the bullet came from a shootout near the girl’s apartment. Video surveillance showed the suspects also shooting outside of the car.
Officers searched the area for anyone who might have information on who was responsible for injuring the girl and believe that one of the cars involved in the shooting was a silver-2000s model Dodge Charger.
Columbia Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons told WIS the incident was a “disgusting crime.”
— Priyanka Juneja, News Editor