Columbia Police officer strikes man in head on video
Investigator Tyrone Pugh of the Columbia Police was suspended without pay after a video was posted on social media showing him punching a man on the ground outside a concert early Sunday morning, The State reported.
In the 15-second video, Pugh is in uniform kneeling on a man on the ground, who is laying to his side. He strikes the man in the head area at least five times. According to Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook, the officer has no previous disciplinary record within the record.
The man on the ground, whose name has not been released, was not arrested, a Columbia police spokeswoman said. Two other 23-year-old men were arrested and charged for fighting.
Student fatally stabs classmate over Snapchat message
A 16-year-old student from Wando High School in Mount Pleasant was charged in murder after he fatally stabbed classmate Lucas Cavanaugh, The Associated Press reported.
The accused student was visiting his girlfriend on Sunday night when he saw that Cavanaugh had sent a message to his girlfriend on Snapchat. The suspect replied to 17-year-old Cavanaugh daring him to come over.
The two teenagers began to fight once Cavanaugh arrived at the house, and the suspect left the scene after stabbing Cavanaugh in the chest.
Corporation leads project to clean Congaree River, recover Confederate artifacts
SCANA Corporation is investing in a $18.5 million project to remove 40,000 tons of black tar found several years ago in the Congaree River, The State reported.
The project, which will last about three years, serves as both an environmental cleanup and a historical endeavor. After removing the tar, which was discharged by a power plant that has been closed for six decades, the corporation will likely find Confederate objects that were dumped into the river by Union troops 150 years ago.
The project will be surrounded by 2,100 feet of fencing, 210 warning signs, security guards and a prefabricated bridge to protect a city sewer line.