Shooting leads to manhunt and schools placed on lockdown, SC sheriff says
A South Carolina man was locked up Wednesday following a shooting that led to a manhunt where multiple schools were placed under security protocols, according to the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office.
Elbert Epps, a 39-year-old Prosperity resident, was charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a weapon by a person convicted of a crime of violence, in addition to possession of cocaine and fentanyl with intent to distribute, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The shooting happened Wednesday afternoon in the Langford Street neighborhood in Prosperity, according to the release.
The shooting appears to stem from domestic issues, Sheriff Lee Foster said in the release.
Further information about the gunfire was not available, but nobody was hurt, the sheriff’s office said.
Epps ran from the shooting into nearby woods, which is near Prosperity-Rikard Elementary School and it was placed on lockdown status as a precaution, according to the release. The Mid-Carolina campuses, which are also in the area, were placed on the alert hold, the sheriff’s office said.
Foster said the schools were placed under the safety protocols for less than 20 minutes.
“This measure was taken as an abundance of caution, with the school safety plan being executed accordingly,” Foster said in the release.
The safety measures were called off because Epps was tracked down and taken into custody by deputies, along with the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon agents as well as Prosperity Police Department officers, according to the release.
Epps also is suspected of being involved in a weekend incident, and more charges are expected. Further information about that incident was not available.
Epps is currently behind bars in the Newberry County Detention Center, jail records show.
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This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Shooting leads to manhunt and schools placed on lockdown, SC sheriff says."
