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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Shots fired near Duke Energy hydroelectric dam in South Carolina

Duke Wateree Hydro Plant in Ridgeway, S.C.
Duke Energy
Duke Wateree Hydro Plant in Ridgeway, S.C.

A person fired gunshots near a Duke Energy hydroelectric dam in South Carolina on Wednesday afternoon, but nobody was hurt and there were no damages.

Duke Energy spokesman Bill Norton said the incident happened near the Wateree Hydro Station in Ridgeway, a 103-year-old dam about 80 miles south of Charlotte. He said Duke is working closely with the FBI to investigate.

CBS News reported that several Duke Energy employees saw a person in a truck arrive at the facility around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and used a long gun to fire several shots. He then drove away.

Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan said he doesn't think the shooter was targeting the plant. “We currently have no evidence leading us to believe this incident involves any type of attack on the Duke Energy Hydro Station. The shooting appears to be a random act and the only connection between the shooting and the hydro station is their proximity," he said in a statement Thursday.

Boan said his office is investigating along with the State Law Enforcement Division and FBI.

The incident comes as power companies and police are on alert following attacks on two substations in Moore County, North Carolina, last weekend. Those attacks knocked out power to 45,000 customers. Power was fully restored on Thursday. Police have not named any suspects or offered a motive for the attack.

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David Boraks previously covered climate change and the environment for WFAE. See more at www.wfae.org/climate-news. He also has covered housing and homelessness, energy and the environment, transportation and business.