A shooting inside a vehicle in the parking lot of a shopping center on South Irby Street in Florence has left two people with injuries described by police as believed to be life-threatening, though conflicting reports have emerged about whether both of them survived. Florence police are investigating the shooting, which happened in the 2600 block of South Irby Street, and said the case remains under active investigation.
According to WPDE, two people died in what it reported as a murder-suicide in the parking lot of Stefano's restaurant in that same 2600 block of South Irby Street. The station reported that Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken confirmed the deaths Saturday evening, and that the Florence County Coroner's Office is working with the Florence Police Department on the investigation.
A different account from WMBF News reported that both people involved were believed to have life-threatening injuries, rather than confirming any deaths. The station reported that police are investigating a shooting that happened in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 2600 block of South Irby Street, and that investigators believe the shooting took place inside a vehicle involving two occupants. Florence interim police chief Stephen Starling said the shooting left two people with injuries believed to be life-threatening, per the WPDE report on the original seed story.
Names and Circumstances Withheld
Neither the identities of the two people involved nor additional details about the circumstances have been released, the station's report noted. Police said more information will be released as the investigation continues, and that the incident remains under active investigation.
How This Fits Into Florence's Crime Picture
The shooting comes as local crime data has shown little dramatic movement in Florence and Florence County. The number of homicides in the city remained relatively stagnant in 2024 while dropping slightly in the county, according to the Post and Courier, which reported no major upward or downward swings in either jurisdiction that year. The same report noted that drug offenses decreased slightly in both the city and county, while larceny saw a slight uptick in the city, and credited a city-county violent crimes task force established in August 2022 with helping reduce drug crime.
The Post and Courier also reported that Florence County had the highest rate of sexual battery in South Carolina in 2023, according to data from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Statewide, SLED's 2024 annual crime report found that South Carolina's murder rate per 10,000 people decreased by 15.8% from 2023 to 2024, with 413 murders recorded statewide, and that the state saw 19,710 aggravated assaults in 2024, the lowest number since 2018.
For now, Florence investigators have not resolved the discrepancy between the reported outcomes, and no official release detailing the victims or the sequence of events accompanies either account. Police have said only that the investigation remains active and that updates will follow.
