Monday Odds and Ends - Both SIdes of the Law Edition

Greenwood, SC Mass Shooting - From the Index Journal and other sources - An autopsy is scheduled for today in Newberry for the 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed during a birthday party late Saturday night.

The victim was identified as Malik Birshon Padgett, 15, of Columbia, according to the Greenwood County Coroner's Office. He died at Self Regional Medical Center after being shot in the chest at the party.

Photo Credit: Greenville Index Journal

According to Greenwood police, the shooting occurred at some apartments on Tabor Street, just beside the Greenwood Law Enforcement Center. A large crowd gathered at the party and spilled out into the street, then multiple shots were fired by someone who was not in attendance at the party.

Reports are varied with the number of persons shot between 4 and 7. Police reported that one of the four people who were injured in the shooting was transported by ambulance, and the three others made it to the hospital on their own. But several people who were injured were seen fleeing the scene with the police arrived.

Cedar's Take: The violence once reserved for Columbia and Charleston has flooded into smaller towns with historically large black populations. Towns of Hardeeville, Blacksburg and Greenwood are frequently in the news as a culture of violence seeps into once peaceful quiet rural areas.

I-77 Traffic - Anyone who traveled I-77 this weekend must have wondered what as going on, as traffic was thick and slow moving from Columbia to Charlotte.

Photo: Cedar Posts

The same volume of traffic was noted on I-26 with bottle necks at the I-26/I-95 interchange, Orangeburg exits and the 1-26/I-77 interchange.

SCDOT Officials blame the traffic on a larger than normal number of travelers hitting the roads at the end of spring break and the Charleston Cooper River Bridge Run on Saturday.

Cedar's Take: The number of north bound mini vans with car top carriers and Ohio, Michigan and New York plates is alarming. I can recall weekend travel along I-26 where out of state cars were few and far between. This has become insane and South Carolina might as well start asking for funds to widen all four interstates now.

Insider's tip: 601 176 are wonderful roads with very little traffic.  My average speed is around 70 even when I have to slow for logging trucks and farm tractors. The reason why these people are out on 26 and 77 is no one knows how to drive a two lane country road.  BTW: Back in the day 601 out of Camden was the only way to get to Charleston and Hilton Head.

CMPD Deputy Chief Ruth Story to Retire - Cedar Posts received this announcement via email early today. We'll have more on Chief Story later this week.

Photo Provided