Latest news with #LorisHighSchool
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Futures were stolen': Conway mayor, police chief speak about gun violence, 2 recent homicides in Facebook video
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — 'Their futures were stolen by gun violence.' That's how Conway Mayor Barbara Jo Blain describes the recent killing of Loris High School basketball star Ja'Niya Richburg and 24-year-old V'Ron Gibbs in separate, unrelated shootings that occurred within a block of each other in the city. 'My heart remains heavy as our community continues to grieve the cold, pointless death of two young people, V'Ron Gibbs and Ja'Niya Richburg,' Blain said Friday afternoon in a Facebook video alongside Police Chief Dale Long. 'There are not just names. They are a son and a daughter, a brother and sister, relatives to many and important to friends, classmates and co-workers. We have all been robbed our their adult contributions to our lives and our world.' Gibbs died at Grand Strand Medical Center on April 20 from gunshot wounds suffered in a shooting the night before at Grainger Road and Marion Street. Long said it started as a 'street encounter' that escalated into an argument. Two people — Davion 'Chino' Hunt and Traeqwan Wilson of Florence are facing murder charges in his death. Richburg was shot and killed on April 29 while she was at her boyfriend's house on Horry Street. Authorities said she was hit by a bullet that came through a window of the home shortly before midnight. Nineteen-year-old Derrick Que'shawn Ashley of Conway faces a murder charge in her death. Long called the shootings a 'senseless loss of life' and said they were unrelated incidents, separated by only a few days, and occurred within a block or so of each other. 'We have investigated, we have done interviews, we have examined forensic evidence, we have harnessed all of the technology at our disposal, and at this point, we are confident in saying that the two homicides that we had recently, they were not linked, except by proximity only,' Long said. Blain assured residents in the video that authorities will do whatever it takes to bring an end to gun violence in the city. 'Our children deserve a chance to become independent, productive, happy adults,' she said. V'Ron and Ja'Niya deserve these things.' Anyone with information about either of the cases is asked to call Conway police at 843-248-1790. * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Conway NAACP calls on more policing, vigilance in wake of deadly shootings
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — Rattled by the random shooting death of a Loris basketball star and other acts of violence within and around Conway, community leaders on Wednesday pleaded with officials to step up policing efforts. Ja'Niya Richburg was a 'young woman with a promising life cut down in a senseless act of violence,' Conway NAACP branch president Kenneth Floyd said in a church parking lot on Grainger Road, less than a half mile from where the 18-year-old was killed by a bullet that came through a home's window on April 30. Authorities days later arrested Derrick Que'shawn Ashley, a 19-year-old Conway man, with murder. 'The question that we have to ask ourselves today is, 'what are we going to do about it,'' Floyd said. 'We can start by asking for more police presence in this area. It may not stop crimes, but it may deter it.' Richburg ended her Loris High School career as the only player in Lions history to log 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She planned to attend the University of South Carolina this fall as a pre-med student. 'This young lady could have been anything she set her mind to, but that will not happen now as a result of this violence,' Floyd said. 'If we see something, then we must say something.' Floyd said the NAACP plans to ask the police about creating a hotline for anonymous tips. 'This is our community, let's band together and not allow our community to be torn apart by guns and other acts of violence,' he said. Floyd said he recently spoke with Conway Mayor Barbara Blain-Bellamy, but didn't go into detail, adding that he expected an official statement by the city soon. Officials say they're also anxious about what Memorial Day Bikefest could bring, as thousands of motorcyclists are expected on the Grand Strand May 23-26 in a state that now allows gun owners 18 and older to openly carry without permits. 'We're not against owning guns, but dealing with this open carry as we approach Memorial Day bike weekend, we saw what happened in Myrtle Beach prior to that,' said Conway NAACP branch first vice president Cedric Blain-Spain said, referencing an officer-involved shooting on Ocean Boulevard that left 10 people hurt and a Bennettsville man dead following a large disturbance. 'If we're already dealing with an officer-involved shooting, I have some serious concerns as it relates to Bike Week and other jurisdictions coming in,' Blain-Spain said. 'We have so much going on in the community. 'We have enough police out here that we don't need to be the wild, wild West.' * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
