Rose Kewlani Obituary, Death; – Authorities have identified a woman who was killed following a shooting on Interstate 26 on Monday.
Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece reported that 52-year-old Rose Kewlani, from West Columbia, was shot near Exit 82 on that day.
The suspected shooter, 45-year-old Wilfrido George Luna, was subsequently arrested and charged with murder. The Newberry County Sheriff’s office stated that Luna allegedly shot Kewlani before fleeing across both lanes of the interstate towards the Mid Carolina Country Club, after reportedly attempting to carjack a nearby tractor-trailer truck.
“We are trying to understand how the tractor-trailer truck was involved; he had no connection to it. The suspect flagged him down,” Foster explained.
Foster also mentioned that Luna was captured in the parking lot of the country club after a brief standoff.
Scott Crouch, General Manager of the Mid-Carolina Golf Course, indicated that the course has safety protocols for situations like this.
“We actually have horns that can be blown, airhorns, so we activated those, went around in carts, and gathered everyone here (in the clubhouse) as well as in my maintenance shop to ensure their safety,” Crouch stated.
As of around 5 p.m. on Monday, the victim had not yet been identified.
The School District of Newberry County announced that Mid-Carolina High School and Mid-Carolina Middle School were also placed on lockdown during the incident. Additionally, Little Mountain, Pomaria-Garmany, and Prosperity-Rikard elementary schools were put in “Secure Mode.”
District officials further noted that schools have since resumed normal operations and that all students and staff are safe.
