Man charged in fatal shooting at Lancaster Motor Speedway during late Saturday race
A 53-year-old man was fatally shot during a crowded race late Saturday at the Lancaster Motor Speedway, and a suspect was arrested Sunday, officials said.
The shooting happened during the last race shortly before 11 p.m., the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Deputies were “working extra duty” at the event and immediately responded to an area inside the front gate near the ticket office, officials said.
There, deputies found the victim, whom officials later identified as Rodney Cunningham, with multiple gunshot wounds. Cunningham was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died, officials said.
After an extensive manhunt, deputies arrested 37-year-old Bryan Terrell Mitchell Sunday morning in connection with the shooting, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Around 5 a.m., Mitchell, who’s from Rock Hill, fled into the woods after deputies spotted him along Charlotte Highway, the release said. Officials from the sheriff’s office, the York County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division searched for Mitchell in a housing development construction site between Charlotte Highway and Old Hickory Road. He was arrested shortly before 10 a.m., the release said.
Mitchell has been charged with murder and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, the release said.
It’s unclear if Mitchell and Cunningham knew each other, officials said.
“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 statement.
The speedway held its third annual Steven Johnson Memorial Race Saturday, according to its website. A “large crowd” was present for the night’s races, officials said.
No one else was injured during the shooting, officials said.
“I know everyone knows what happened at the race tonight, all I ask is that everyone keep that person (sic) family in your thoughts and prayers,” the speedway said in a Facebook post.
This story was originally published August 28, 2022 at 9:48 AM.
