Campus Alert Archive
MUSC

Shots Fired Inside MUSC's McClennan Banks Parking Garage in a Tuesday Morning Confrontation

SCshootingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On May 2, 2023, at approximately 10:50 AM EDT, shots were fired inside the McClennan Banks Parking Garage (K Lot) behind Ashley River Tower on the MUSC campus in downtown Charleston. MUSC Public Safety and Charleston Police Department responded immediately; the garage was closed and the area secured. Two men were later arrested -- Samuel R. White and Donovan Henderson -- each charged with attempted murder. No one was struck by gunfire.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Medical University of South Carolina
Public R2 · SC
MUSC Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 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 ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction216 chars
MUSC Alert: Shots fired reported in the McClennan Banks Parking Garage (K Lot) behind Ashley River Tower. The area is being secured. Avoid the McClennan Banks Parking Garage and surrounding area until further notice.

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

MUSC stated the incident was isolated to the first floor of the McClennan Banks garage and that there was no threat to campus; the alert was a targeted area avoidance notification rather than a campus-wide lockdown.
The shooting occurred at a busy mid-morning time on an academic medical campus where students, faculty, and hospital employees regularly use the K Lot garage adjacent to Ashley River Tower.
ALL CLEARUnknown
Approximate reconstruction117 chars
MUSC Alert: The McClennan Banks Parking Garage has reopened. The scene has been cleared. Thank you for your patience.

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

The garage reopened as investigators had collected witness statements and surveillance footage; the all-clear reflected that the immediate threat was contained though an active investigation was underway.
Law enforcement worked with witnesses and reviewed surveillance video and issued a BOLO before making the first arrest the following day.
Context

Background

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) occupies a dense urban medical campus in downtown Charleston, SC. On the morning of May 2, 2023, MUSC Public Safety and the Charleston Police Department responded to shots fired in the McClennan Banks Parking Garage, also known as K Lot, which sits behind Ashley River Tower at the main MUSC medical campus. Live 5 News reported that the shooting occurred at about 10:50 AM EDT and was isolated to the first floor of the structure. The garage was closed while investigators worked the scene, reviewed surveillance cameras, and interviewed witnesses; a BOLO was issued for a suspect. The next day, May 3, MUSC Public Safety arrested Samuel R. White, 31, who was charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and carrying a weapon on school property. A second suspect, Donovan Henderson, 23, was arrested on May 8 with assistance from Summerville Police and faced the same charges. The McClennan Banks garage reopened shortly after 2 PM on the day of the shooting. No one was struck by gunfire. A 2025 court ruling dismissed charges against White when a key charge was ruled insufficient, but the underlying incident as a shooting on MUSC campus property remained uncontested.
Analysis

Key Findings

A shooting inside an on-campus parking structure at an academic medical center demonstrates that hospital campus security incidents extend beyond clinical buildings to ancillary infrastructure such as parking garages
No injuries resulted despite shots fired; the incident was contained to the first floor of the McClennan Banks structure
MUSC and Charleston Police made two arrests within a week, relying heavily on surveillance footage and witness interviews
Charges against at least one defendant were later dismissed on technical grounds, illustrating the gap between an incident occurring and a successful prosecution
Outcome
No injuries. Two suspects arrested: Samuel R. White, 31, arrested May 3, and Donovan Henderson, 23, arrested May 8, both charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and carrying a weapon on school property. The McClennan Banks garage reopened after approximately 2 PM on May 2.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Police investigating 'shots fired' at MUSC garage
    counton2.com
  2. News
    MUSC parking garage reopens after shots fired
    live5news.com
  3. News
    1 arrested in MUSC parking garage shooting
    live5news.com
  4. News
    Second arrest made in MUSC parking garage shooting
    live5news.com
  5. News
    Charge dismissed against man in 2023 MUSC garage shooting
    postandcourier.com
Tags
shootinghospitalacademic-health-centersouth-carolinacharlestonparking-garageemergency-notification
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion