Uptown shooting

Spree leaves two dead, one wounded

May 7, 2005

By WALLACE McBRIDE
Index-Journal senior staff writer

A man took his own life Friday afternoon after reportedly killing his wife and then shooting another man on the streets of Uptown Greenwood.
Greenwood County Deputy Coroner Marcia Kelley identified the shooter as Augustine Jetemi Omogun, 41, of 306 Manning Road in the Avondale subdivision. Police were dispatched to his home at 3:39 p.m., where they discovered his wife, Denise Ruth Omogun, 41, dead on the kitchen floor from gunshot wounds.
“Our best information right now is that it was done at the hands of her husband,” Greenwood Police Chief Gerald Brooks said.
A nearby neighbor doing yard work said she heard the couple arguing Friday afternoon. She saw Augustine Omogun walk outside to his truck, retrieve a handgun and return to his home.
A gunshot was heard soon after. The Omoguns’ son was later seen running next door to a neighbor’s house. “I feel like we should have called the police,” a neighbor said.
“This was a shock,” another neighbor said. “They seemed like quiet, church-going people.”
Omogun was next spotted on Oregon Avenue behind Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, where he approached an employee who was unloading a truck for the ReStore. Omogun was looking for a man he believed was having an affair with his wife, Brooks said.
“We were in the back of the store and heard a loud boom. We didn’t know if it was a gas explosion or if something fell over,” said Frenchton Moss of McCormick, who was shopping in the store with her daughter.
Police have not identified the shooting victim. Apparently, Brooks said, while the victim was unloading the truck, he was approached by Omogun who said, “I need to talk to you about my wife.” Omogun then fired a shot at the man.
“He came here to the front of the store, and the ladies that work here asked him what’s going on,” Moss said. “He said somebody’s back there shooting. They asked if he was shot, and he looked at himself and he was shot in the top part of his arm.”
Store customers and employees hid behind a counter as Omogun came to the front of the building.
“He stood there and looked at us, and took off,” Moss said. “My daughter ran behind him to try to keep an eye on him. While she was trying to hail down the police he went around the corner.”
Brooks said Omogun chased the victim out of the store, up Maxwell Avenue into offices of Citizens Trust Insurance inside the Greenwood Building. He fired a second shot that missed before the chase brought them back to the parking lot in the front of the building.
“The man shot in the arm escaped out of that building back onto Maxwell Avenue where he was confronted by (Omogun),” Brooks said. He pulled the trigger again, but the gun failed to fire.
“We believe maybe he was out of ammo, because we found a magazine from the weapon where he was trying to reload,” Brooks said.
The victim ran across Main Street to Wachovia Bank where he was later taken away by emergency medical services to Self Regional Healthcare. Omogun walked back to Alliance Avenue where he was spotted and pursued by a sheriff’s deputy.
“A member of the Sheriff’s department saw him and got out to approach him,” Brooks said. “At some point the man turned the gun on himself and shot himself.”
“We will only say at this point that our deputy performed his duties courageously and flawlessly. His actions today most likely saved someone’s life,” Mike Frederick, chief deputy with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, said in a written statement.
Augustine Omogun was a Capsugel employee and a minister.
Autopsies were expected to take place today in Newberry County, Kelley said.

Vikings going to finals

Baseball team defeats Liberty to earn 1st state berth

May 7, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

The Vikings’ wild ride continues to the final round.
After reaching the first Upper State tournament in the program’s history, the Emerald High School baseball team advanced to its first-ever Class AA state championship tourney.
The Vikings eliminated Liberty from the playoffs with a 9-2 win Friday at Emerald.
“I’ve been thinking about this since my freshman year,” said senior second baseman Milton Brown, who was 4-for-4 with four runs scored. “There isn’t really any other feeling like this. It’s just really exciting.
“Coming into this game we had confidence that we we’re going to win. We didn’t want to play two today. It was very important, because if you lose that first one, it puts a lot of pressure on you to win the second one.”
The Vikings move on to play at the Bishop England Monday in the opening round of the championship tournament.
Bishop England defeated Chesterfield in two games Friday to win the Lower State title.
Game two of the best-of-three series will be Wednesday at Emerald.
“I’m just extremely happy for these kids and these coaches,” Vikings coach Chad Evans said. “I was never able to experience this as a player, and seeing the smiles on these guys faces means more to me than anything.
“It is huge.”
Emerald trailed on two different occasions, at 1-0 and 2-1.
But the Vikings used a pair of three-run innings to claim the lead and earn the spot in the finals.
“The guys have never laid down at any point this season,” Evans said.
“We lost 17-7 to Chapman, and then came back and won two at their place. We were even down 4-0 to Abbeville, but the guys just started playing. And we haven’t looked back yet.”
Evans got a big lift from some previously slumping seniors to help the team come back against the Red Devils Friday.
Brown snapped out of an 0-for-8 slump with a triple to leadoff the first. He later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1.
Brown also scored the Vikings’ go-ahead run in the third when catcher Wade Scott ended an 0-for-6 mark with a double that also brought in Brandon Miller to make it 4-2.
“It was great to get out of that slump and especially for me to do it and drive in two runs and get us back on top again,” Scott said.
Senior Corey Barnes also broke an 0-for-8 slump, connecting on a two-out two-run single in the fifth, while fellow-senior Justin Lovvorn ended an 0-for-5 drought with his two-out two-run single in the sixth to give Emerald a 9-2 advantage.
“Everybody hit the ball and did their part,” Scott said. “That’s what makes this feel so great, because we played as a team and we won.”
The run support was more than enough for Emerald starter Blake Moore. After allowing a run in each of the first two innings, Moore, who threw a shutout against Chesnee Monday, kept the Red Devils off stride over the final five innings
The junior went the distance for his seventh win of the season, striking out four, while scattering eight hits and one walk.
“Blake was up in the zone a little bit early on, but he started bearing down and working hard low in the strike zone,” Evans said. “Blake’s always been a good pitcher for us.”

Lady Vikings setting sights on track title

May 7, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

A year ago, the Emerald High School girls track team came within a few points of claiming its first Class AA state title in four years.
After their performance in Monday’s Upper State finals, the Lady Vikings put themselves in a solid position to again challenge for the state title and dethrone four-time defending champion Bishop England, which won state last year by 4.5 points over Emerald.
The Lady Vikings qualified eight individuals in seven different events and two of the three relays.
“I was hoping for more, but the (Upper State) competition had a lot to do with that,” Emerald coach Zeke Goode said, after Monday’s state qualifying meet. “The competition in the AA Upper State is really, really tough.
“But we always to go to the state meet thinking that we have an opportunity to win. It all just depends on what happens that day.”
Friday was the first day of events for the state meet, with some Class AAAA and AAA field and relays taking place.
But all athletes from Greenwood and the Lakelands area participate today.
The four Greenwood High School athletes and one relay team will compete in the early part of the day, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., while those from Emerald, Abbeville, Saluda, Dixie and Calhoun Falls go from 1 to 7:30 tonight.
Senior sprinter Michele Scotland leads the way for the Lady Vikings, qualifying in her four events for a second straight year. Scotland will get her start on the day in the 4x100-meter relay before moving on to the 100 and 200, and then end the night as the anchor of the 4x400 relay.
Fellow senior Janie Weatherman, who qualified in the 400 hurdles, will also join Scotland on the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Seniors Jessica Jefferson and Allison Daniel, who will compete individually in the high jump and 800 respectively, will be on the 4x400 relay.
Sophomore Brittany Connor leads the Lady Vikings in the field events, qualifying for both the shot put and the discus. Senior MacKenzie Bartz will join Connor in the shot put after taking first in the Upper State meet.
Emerald’s Dan Wideman and Nic Lanier lead the Vikings’ track team with three qualifying events. Wideman qualified for the 100 and is a member of the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, while Lanier made it in both 110 and 400 hurdles as well as the 4x100.
Saluda’s William Culbreath and Abbeville’s Desmond Peterson will be the lone entries for their perspective schools. Culbreath qualified in the shot put, while Peterson will run the 800.
Greenwood’s John Phelps will compete in two events for the Eagles’ track team. Phelps will be on the 4x400 relay along with running the 400. The Lady Eagles’ Asia Delany also qualified for a pair of events in the 100 and 200.
The Dixie girls track team, fresh off its top finish in the Class A Upper State meet, will send seven individuals in 12 different events and two relays, giving the team a solid chance to challenge defending state champion Lamar, which moved to the Lower State this season.
Dee Clinkscales leads the Lady Hornets, qualifying in all four of her events (100 and 400 hurdles, long jump and 4x100 relay).
Jasmine Smith is also a multi-event athlete for Dixie. Smith, who is on the Upper State champion 4x100 relay team, took first at Upper State in both the long jump and triple jump.
Dixie’s Louise Sosebee and Marianne King will compete in one individual event and one relay.
Sosebee qualified for the 3,200 and the 4x800 relay, while King made it in the triple jump and 4x100.
Calhoun Falls’ Adrian Tatum and Chelsea Kidd will be the only qualifier for the Blue Flashes’ boys and girls teams, respectively.
Tatum will compete in the 100 and 200 as well as the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Kidd will run the 800 and be on the Lady Blue Flashes’ 4x400 relay squad.

Sears ignores injury to lead EHS girls

May 7, 2005

By BRIAN HOWARD
Assistant sports editor

WOODRUFF — Kasie Sears battled through a left ankle injury and recovered in time to score a late goal as the Emerald High School girls soccer team defeated Woodruff, 4-2, Friday in the Upper State semifinals of the Class AA/A playoffs at W.L. Varner Stadium.
Sears, hampered with the injury since the final two weeks of the regular season, re-injured the ankle with 20 minutes remaining and had to be sidelined. But the junior forward was called back into action with less than five minutes left after midfielder Erika Bishop was ejected after receiving her second yellow card of the game on a hard tackle against Woodruff’s Casey Cash.
The Lady Vikings (17-3) advance to the Upper State Finals Tuesday against the winner of the Southside Christian/Christ Church game. Results of that game were not available at press time.
Emerald led 3-2 late in the second half when Amanda Rowland played a long ball to the left corner, where Lacy Hastings was able to run down, before being fouled just outside the penalty area.
Sears took the free kick, and slide it past the Lady Wolverines defense and into the right top corner for the score.
“That was just a relief for everybody,” Sears said.
“Paul (coach Dodd) had been telling us that all we need is a two-goal lead and it will change the entire game. It was a relief and it showed we deserved it.”
Bishop is expected to miss one game with the red card ejection, Dodd said.
Emerald starting goalkeeper Rachel Baggett played just seven minutes after suffering a chipped tooth on a hard play and was replaced by Whitney Patterson.
The Lady Wolverines struck first on a goal by Cash.
Jessica Thomas was able to break through the Emerald defense and Baggett came off her line, where she was hit in the tooth. Thomas played a short cross into the middle of the penalty area to Cash, who signed to play college soccer at Erskine. Cash headed the ball into a wide-open net for the score.
Emerald responded with a pair of goals within three-minute span.
Rowland fired a free-kick shot 35-yards out, which was initially saved by Lady Wolverines goalkeeper Jordan Lawson, but the deflection bounced to Erika Bishop for the equalizer.
Three minutes later, Sears gave Emerald a 2-1 advantage. Rowland got her second assist on a fast restart and found a streaking Sears, who tapped the ball around Lawson and knocked in the open-net goal.
But in extra time, Woodruff’s Nicole Jones got the ball off a defensive turnover from Emerald and fired a shot into the upper left corner past Patterson for the score.
After the teams played to a 2-2 tie in the first half, Alex Bishop gave the Lady Vikings a 3-2 lead just a minute into the second half.
Emerald played nearly the final 20 minutes inside its end of the field, but Dodd credited the team for having heart.
When you get this deep into the playoffs against a quality like Woodruff, its going to come down to heart,” Dodd said. “I challenged the girls to the onslaught that was going to come. They answered the question in the last fifteen minutes by coming up with big plays.”
The game was halted with 16 minutes left when Woodruff’s Jessica Thomas went down had and taken off by a stretcher and Lady Wolverines coach Fernando Gomez said she had a concussion.
Patterson finished with nine saves, while Lawson had five.

Opinion

Observations ... and other reflections

May 7, 2005

A Greenwood man read about a new discount card that is being made available to state employees. It allows for discounts of 10 to 50 percent at 10,000 vendors that sell a variety of consumer products.
That Greenwood man got a little perturbed over the whole idea. He wonders why such cards cannot be made available to all South Carolinians.
He has a point, especially since a state Human Resources official said the cards would cost the state nothing. That being the case, then, it does indeed beg the question why every South Carolinian can’t have a discount card.
But, of course, everyone knows there is no free lunch. So who’s going to pay?

* * * * *

You’d think the Social Security system would be stabilized by now, what with all the talk and action over the years.
As South Carolina’s Rep. Joe Wilson, R-2nd District, reminded Congress the other day, there have been many attempts to fix the program but it still faces problems.
The payroll tax has been raised 22 times – that’s 22 times – Wilson noted, and the amount of Social Security benefits taxed has increased from 0 percent to 85 percent. That is, where no Social Security taxes were paid on our salaries, now we pay them on $85 out of every $100 we make.
So, does it really need fixing? Considering the above figures, it’s obvious something hasn’t worked. Does that leave any doubt?

* * * * *

More than 10 years ago, Don Herbert, a fireman in Buffalo, N. Y., suffered brain damage when he went without oxygen for several minutes after a roof collapsed on him while he was fighting a fire.
He spent two-and-a-half months in a coma, and ever since was virtually blind and silent. He had little, if any, memory.
Then, he had a sudden and unexplained recovery and started speaking to family and friends. Doctors say a change in medication may have helped.
Regardless, it was like a miracle. Now, has the name Schiavo become a haunting memory for anyone?

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

Carl Johnson

ABBEVILLE — Carl R. Johnson, 90, of 306 Noble Drive, widower of Blanche Sleator Johnson, died Thursday, May 5, 2005 at Abbeville County Memorial Hospital.
Born in Ossining, N.Y., he was a son of the late Carl Martin and Anna Bengtsson Johnson. He was a retired prison administrator.
Survivors include two daughters, Barbara Consorte of Abbeville and Judy Kinnamon of Spring City, Tenn.; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Services are in New York at a later date.
The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home is in charge.

Thelma Nicholson

Thelma Nicholson, 74, of 914 Taggart St., widow of Claven “C.B.” Nicholson, died Friday, May 6, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
The family is at the home of Carrie Forrest, 112 Sheldon Ave., Belle Meade.
Services will be announced by Parks Funeral Home.

Kyle Thompson

ABBEVILLE — Kyle Knox Thompson, 44, of 1472 Highway 284, wife of William “Billy” Thompson, died Friday, May 6, 2005 at Abbeville County Memorial Hospital.
Services will be announced by Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home.