Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School shooting survivor allegedly murdered

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WIS) - An Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School shooting survivor was found dead near his home in November, and investigators say he was murdered.

Court records show Ricke Irick was one of the three victims in the August 2021 school shooting. Court records show he was shot in the foot.

A Dec. 5, 2022, Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office release announced investigators found a man’s body on Nov. 29 in his yard on Estate Court. It said they believe he was shot the previous night.

The release announced the arrests of Nasir Washington, 18, and Jaquail Mack, 17.

Both are charged with murder. Mack is also charged with possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

It did not name Irick as the victim, but the attached arrest warrants gave Irick’s address as the location of the alleged murder.

On Thursday, First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe confirmed to WIS the dead man was 18-year-old, Irick.

WIS has no information that the shootings are connected.

The sheriff’s office declined to confirm Irick’s name.

Irick’s mother and the Orangeburg County School District did not return requests for comment.

Law enforcement arrested then-14-year-old Kemondre Glover for the Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School shooting.

Court records show Glover alleges he was threatened by other students on campus with guns before the shooting.

It’s unclear from the records who the other students are.

Court records also include allegations Glover’s shooting was pre-planned, that he hid with his gun until Irick and the two other victims “walked near his hiding spot to begin firing.”

Glover is currently being held at the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice.

Pascoe declined to comment on the circumstances of either case outside of confirming Irick’s involvement in both.

He expressed frustration with the “epidemic” of youth gun violence.

“I started as a juvenile prosecutor 29 years ago and I’ve never seen violence amongst our young, our juveniles, at this level in the 29 years I’ve been prosecuting cases and it’s not a first circuit problem, it’s a state epidemic. It’s unbelievable. Every society gets the criminal it deserves,” he said.

He listed several factors driving the problem.

“Loss of hope with many of them, lack of, some of them and it’s not fair to say about all of them, some of them a lack of family structure. Many come from good parents, a lack of hope, a lack of family structure, too easy to get their hands on guns,” he said.

He also pointed to school truancy as a problem.

Pascoe said a “full-court press” is needed to take on the issue.

“Most of them start off as truants, most of them start off incorrigible, committing small crimes. Throughout the state I think we need to do a better job of recognizing those children and start giving them some structure,” he said.

“Putting them in church diversion programs that we’ve had in this state for almost 30 years now. To give them some hope and structure and let them know that someone cares before they reach that point of no return.”

The sheriff’s office release said additional arrests are expected in Irick’s alleged murder case.

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