Campus Alert Archive
CCU

5:12 AM at The Cove: Predawn Gunfire in CCU's Student Parking Lot Reignites Off-Campus Safety Debate

SCshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

At 5:12 AM EST on January 15, 2024, Coastal Carolina University police responded to shots fired in the parking lot of The Cove Apartments, an off-campus student housing complex leased and operated by the university. No injuries were reported. A 20-year-old non-student was arrested three days later and charged with discharging a weapon and carrying a firearm on school property.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Coastal Carolina University
Public Masters · SC
~10,500 studentsCCU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction104 chars
CCU ALERT: Shots fired at The Cove Apartments off Highway 544. Avoid the area. Police are investigating.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from WMBF News and ABC News 4 coverage; CCU sent the first alert at 5:12 AM EST
The Cove Apartments is an off-campus student housing complex leased and operated by the university off Highway 544
UPDATEPush
Approximate reconstruction122 chars
CCU UPDATE: There is no apparent threat to campus. Police continue to investigate at The Cove. Continue to avoid the area.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news coverage; WBTW reported a second alert was issued at 5:34 AM EST, about 22 minutes after the initial alert
The university confirmed there was no apparent threat to the main campus while the investigation continued
ALL CLEARPush
Approximate reconstruction122 chars
CCU ALL CLEAR: Police units have cleared The Cove area. Normal operations can resume. The incident is under investigation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from news reporting; the all-clear was issued just before 7:20 AM, over two hours after the initial alert
No injuries were reported and the suspect was not immediately identified at the scene
Context

Background

In the predawn hours of January 15, 2024, shots were fired in the parking lot of The Cove Apartments, an off-campus student housing complex located off Highway 544 that is leased and operated by Coastal Carolina University. CCU Department of Public Safety responded just after 3:30 AM EST but did not send the first alert to students until 5:12 AM, directing them to avoid the area. A second alert at approximately 5:34 AM confirmed no apparent threat to the main campus, and the all-clear was issued just before 7:20 AM. The incident did not stem from a large party or fight, and no injuries were reported. Three days later, 20-year-old Savion Jordan Pinckney was arrested and charged with discharging a weapon and carrying a weapon on school property. Pinckney was not a CCU student. The incident renewed student concerns about safety at off-campus housing complexes operated by the university.
Analysis

Key Findings

The alert sequence spanned approximately two hours from the initial 5:12 AM alert to the all-clear at 7:20 AM
The suspect was a non-student who was arrested three days after the incident
The Cove Apartments is off-campus student housing leased and operated by CCU, blurring the on-campus/off-campus distinction
Outcome
No injuries. Savion Jordan Pinckney, 20, of Myrtle Beach, was arrested on January 18, 2024, and charged with discharging a weapon and carrying a weapon on school property. He was not a CCU student.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    CCU students raise safety concerns after shots fired at off-campus complex (WMBF News)
    wmbfnews.com
  2. News
    20-year-old arrested after shots fired at off-campus student housing complex near CCU (WPDE)
    wpde.com
  3. News
    Shots fired at Cove Apartments, CCU student housing (ABC News 4)
    abcnews4.com
  4. News
    1 in custody after shooting in parking lot at Cove apartments near Coastal Carolina (WBTW)
    wbtw.com
Tags
shootingoff-campus-housingsouth-carolinano-injuriespredawnstudent-housingnon-student-suspect
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion