Man shot to death at S.C. track
A 37-year-old South Carolina man was arrested Sunday morning and charged with murder and possession of a firearm in connection to a fatal shooting Saturday night at Lancaster (S.C.) Motor Speedway, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.
Rodney Cunningham, 53, of Heath Springs, S.C., suffered gunshot wounds inside the front gate near the ticket office just before 11 p.m. during the last race of the night at the third annual Steven Johnson Memorial, according to police and media reports. Deputies working at the track and arriving emergency responders treated Cunningham at the track; he was later pronounced dead at Lancaster Medical Center.
Police asked for assistance among those at the track in the search for the suspected shooter, triggering a manhunt that lasted into the next morning with more than 60 officers, K-9 units and a police helicopter part of an operation that apprehended the suspect at 9:50 a.m. near the Roselyn housing development.
Police took Bryan Terrell Mitchell, 37, of Rock Hill, S.C., into custody and jailed him in the Lancaster County Detention Center. Officers didn't know of a motive and didn't know if the victim and suspect were acquainted.
"I appreciate the vital information provided by the witnesses at the racetrack last night which allowed us to identify Mitchell within minutes of the shooting," Sheriff Barry Faile said in a police release. "I also want to thank the agencies which sent us resources which quickly brought this manhunt to an end without injury to anyone."
A post written the track's Facebook page: "I know everyone knows what happened at the race tonight, all I ask is that everyone keep (the victim's) family in your thoughts and prayers.”