Husband of CofC provost dies in shooting
Police: 2 teen suspects arrested in downtown robbery attempt
BY SARA COELLO, MIKAELA PORTER and GREGORY YEE
The Post and Courier
Charleston police officers investigate a fatal shooting that occurred just before 6:15 a.m. on King Street at Clifford Street on Friday.
BRAD NETTLES/ STAFF
DiLorenzo
ANDREW J. WHITAKER/STAFF
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg and Police Chief Luther Reynolds talk with business owners on King Street on Friday.
Police arrested two teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting Friday morning of the husband of the College of Charleston’s new provost.
The teens, ages 15 and 16, were taken into custody by officers Friday night, police said. They each face one count of murder and attempted armed robbery.
One of the teens was also charged with possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime, police said.
“They are being held in the juvenile detention center and will have a hearing before a family court judge,” police said. “Due to their status as juveniles, their names cannot be released.”
Authorities said Tom DiLorenzo and his wife, Suzanne Austin, were walking downtown when two robbers demanded money from them near King and Clifford streets.
DiLorenzo, 63, was shot around 6:15 a.m. and died at Medical University Hospital a short time later, according to the Charleston County coroner. His wife, the college’s newly appointed provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, wasn’t physically injured.
Police Chief Luther Reynolds called the shooting “an anomaly” in the city.
“This is not something in the city of Charleston, thankfully, that has happened in many, many years,” he said.
After the shooting, investigators followed key pieces of evidence that led them to make the arrests, including images of a silver 2005 Acura TL they said was “involved in the incident.” DiLorenzo recently retired from the University of North Dakota after serving as provost and vice president of academic affairs for seven years.
He and Austin moved to Charleston just weeks ago, according to a statement from the college.
Austin, a historian of epidemiology, took office as one of the College of Charleston’s top-ranking officials earlier this month.
She came to Charleston after spending nine years as senior vice provost and senior international officer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Austin serves as a key member of college President Andrew Hsu’s senior staff, where she oversees academic programs and faculty affairs.
“This is a moment of great sorrow for the entire College of Charleston community,” Hsu said in a statement. “In this difficult time, I want to express heartfelt condolences to Suzanne and the Austin and DiLorenzo families. It is imperative that we, as a campus community, come together now to support Suzanne and her family as they mourn the untimely loss of a husband and father.” Hsu declined to make any additional comments to the newspaper.
Police were at the crime scene for several hours after the shooting; a section of King Street was blocked between Market and Clifford streets as investigators worked to collect evidence. Several officers and detectives were on hand, as was a police dog. Police were seen knocking on business’ doors before they opened Friday morning.
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said Friday morning’s shooting was a “a cruel act of violence that has no place in our city.”
“Our hearts go out to Mr. DiLorenzo’s family and friends, and to the whole College of Charleston community at this terrible time,” he said in a statement.
The shooting occurred along a stretch of King Street populated by boutique shops, antique and jewelry stores and a handful of restaurants.
Robberies, shootings and other violent crime are uncommon in the central tourism district. Police keep a steady presence in the area and portions of King Street and the bustling Charleston City Market hub are under the watchful eye of surveillance cameras. Still, crime does occur on occasion.
Asked whether the city was prepared to take stronger steps to rein in crime, Reynolds said some efforts were underway but others wouldn’t be practical. “It was a terrible, evil, random event,” Tecklenburg said, “but a curfew would have not prevented what happened this morning from happening. It was a terrible, isolated, criminal act.” “We’ve committed more officers to the area,” he said. “More of a community policing approach.”
Reynolds said a small number of people “are committing a disproportionate number of violent crimes” in Charleston. “I’ll tell you, the small number of violent criminal offenders that are in our communities doing things like this, they need to be in jail and they need to stay there. And we’re going to make sure they do,” he said.
Reynolds said tourism also is on his mind and he’d encourage people not to give up on Charleston.
“I would say this is a great place to be,” the chief said. “I would say to people, and I have, to my own family members coming here, this is a great place to come. We have the best food, the best culture, the best people and it’s a very safe city for us to be at.”
On King Street, almost nothing is open at that time of day and the area is generally quiet with the exception of a passing trash truck or street sweeper. Foot traffic mostly consists of walkers, joggers and dog strollers looking to get some exercise before the sun rises and the crushing heat of a Charleston summer day sets in. Just beyond the commercial corridor, to the west, is a densely populated residential neighborhood known as Harleston Village.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear the news about this senseless act of violence,” said Helen Hill, CEO of Explore Charleston, the region’s tourism development agency. “The College is woven into the very fabric of our city. This isolated incident certainly does not reflect the Charleston culture that we know and love, but we respect that doesn’t alleviate the pain and profound loss being felt by Mrs. Austin and the families affected.”
The shooting comes less than a week after a spate of three shootings last weekend in which two people were killed. One shooting just blocks away on Magazine Street, left two people with injuries.
Councilman Mike Seekings represents residents living near the shooting site and also is an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston. He said he met Suzanne Austin in passing, but didn’t meet her husband.
Seekings said he walked from his Montagu Street home to the site of the crime after he found out about the shooting. Walking back toward Roper Hospital, he said he stopped and talked with about 20 people about what happened.
“We are a neighborhood that looks out for each other,” Seekings said. “It’s a peaceful community that houses residents, the College of Charleston, businesses — it’s a very close-knit community.”
Seekings said people in his neighborhood are grieving for the victim and his family, but they are also shocked and want answers.
He’s heard from residents and business and property owners along the King Street corridor. “Think about what’s happened on King Street in the last 60 days,” Seekings said. “This is another sort of bone-jarring event in a series that have put King Street on high alert. They have a certain and understandable level of unease.”
The King Street corridor, already under constraints because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, was also the site of a riot and protests that take place regularly.
The residents in the Harleston Village neighborhood, though not right next to White Point Garden, are anxious, especially with ongoing protests and threats of violence on Sundays. “We as a city have to do everything we can to make sure our citizens are safe,” Seekings said. Councilwoman Marie Delcioppo, whose district stretches from Daniel Island to near the shooting scene, said she hadn’t heard from her downtown constituents about the shooting. Scott Anthony, president of the Harleston Village Neighborhood Association, said in an emailed statement the slaying was a “shock” to the community.
“One of the greatest amenities of our neighborhood is the simple pleasure of a peaceful stroll through our wonderful city,” Anthony said. “Today, that pleasure was tainted by the callous action of these evildoers.”
Anthony said Friday’s shooting is another one of the recent losses the community has seen. “The recent string of violent crime on the peninsula must come to an end,” he said.
The area south of Spring Street had a series of holdups in 2015, including a brazen daylight heist of $700,000 in merchandise from Demetre Jewelers on King Street, just a few blocks from the site of Friday’s shooting.
That same year, an Upstate family of three was robbed at gunpoint and two men at knifepoint in separate incidents while walking near the popular Battery sea wall.
Perhaps the most notorious incident occurred on April 24, 1994, when Georgia tourist Elliot Davis was gunned down by robbers while walking with his girlfriend near the corner of Church and Chalmers streets. The killing attracted wide attention, as Davis, 31, was the first tourist killed in Charleston in more than 25 years. That case remains unsolved.
Police said anyone with information on Friday’s shooting can call the on-duty detective at 843-743-7200.
Glenn Smith, Thomas
Novelly, Jenna Schiferl contributed to this report. Reach Sara Coello at 843-937-5705 and follow her on Twitter.
Police: 2 teen suspects arrested in downtown robbery attempt
BY SARA COELLO, MIKAELA PORTER and GREGORY YEE
The Post and Courier
Charleston police officers investigate a fatal shooting that occurred just before 6:15 a.m. on King Street at Clifford Street on Friday.
BRAD NETTLES/ STAFF
DiLorenzo
ANDREW J. WHITAKER/STAFF
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg and Police Chief Luther Reynolds talk with business owners on King Street on Friday.
Police arrested two teenagers in connection with the fatal shooting Friday morning of the husband of the College of Charleston’s new provost.
The teens, ages 15 and 16, were taken into custody by officers Friday night, police said. They each face one count of murder and attempted armed robbery.
One of the teens was also charged with possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime, police said.
“They are being held in the juvenile detention center and will have a hearing before a family court judge,” police said. “Due to their status as juveniles, their names cannot be released.”
Authorities said Tom DiLorenzo and his wife, Suzanne Austin, were walking downtown when two robbers demanded money from them near King and Clifford streets.
DiLorenzo, 63, was shot around 6:15 a.m. and died at Medical University Hospital a short time later, according to the Charleston County coroner. His wife, the college’s newly appointed provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, wasn’t physically injured.
Police Chief Luther Reynolds called the shooting “an anomaly” in the city.
“This is not something in the city of Charleston, thankfully, that has happened in many, many years,” he said.
After the shooting, investigators followed key pieces of evidence that led them to make the arrests, including images of a silver 2005 Acura TL they said was “involved in the incident.” DiLorenzo recently retired from the University of North Dakota after serving as provost and vice president of academic affairs for seven years.
He and Austin moved to Charleston just weeks ago, according to a statement from the college.
Austin, a historian of epidemiology, took office as one of the College of Charleston’s top-ranking officials earlier this month.
She came to Charleston after spending nine years as senior vice provost and senior international officer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Austin serves as a key member of college President Andrew Hsu’s senior staff, where she oversees academic programs and faculty affairs.
“This is a moment of great sorrow for the entire College of Charleston community,” Hsu said in a statement. “In this difficult time, I want to express heartfelt condolences to Suzanne and the Austin and DiLorenzo families. It is imperative that we, as a campus community, come together now to support Suzanne and her family as they mourn the untimely loss of a husband and father.” Hsu declined to make any additional comments to the newspaper.
Police were at the crime scene for several hours after the shooting; a section of King Street was blocked between Market and Clifford streets as investigators worked to collect evidence. Several officers and detectives were on hand, as was a police dog. Police were seen knocking on business’ doors before they opened Friday morning.
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said Friday morning’s shooting was a “a cruel act of violence that has no place in our city.”
“Our hearts go out to Mr. DiLorenzo’s family and friends, and to the whole College of Charleston community at this terrible time,” he said in a statement.
The shooting occurred along a stretch of King Street populated by boutique shops, antique and jewelry stores and a handful of restaurants.
Robberies, shootings and other violent crime are uncommon in the central tourism district. Police keep a steady presence in the area and portions of King Street and the bustling Charleston City Market hub are under the watchful eye of surveillance cameras. Still, crime does occur on occasion.
Asked whether the city was prepared to take stronger steps to rein in crime, Reynolds said some efforts were underway but others wouldn’t be practical. “It was a terrible, evil, random event,” Tecklenburg said, “but a curfew would have not prevented what happened this morning from happening. It was a terrible, isolated, criminal act.” “We’ve committed more officers to the area,” he said. “More of a community policing approach.”
Reynolds said a small number of people “are committing a disproportionate number of violent crimes” in Charleston. “I’ll tell you, the small number of violent criminal offenders that are in our communities doing things like this, they need to be in jail and they need to stay there. And we’re going to make sure they do,” he said.
Reynolds said tourism also is on his mind and he’d encourage people not to give up on Charleston.
“I would say this is a great place to be,” the chief said. “I would say to people, and I have, to my own family members coming here, this is a great place to come. We have the best food, the best culture, the best people and it’s a very safe city for us to be at.”
On King Street, almost nothing is open at that time of day and the area is generally quiet with the exception of a passing trash truck or street sweeper. Foot traffic mostly consists of walkers, joggers and dog strollers looking to get some exercise before the sun rises and the crushing heat of a Charleston summer day sets in. Just beyond the commercial corridor, to the west, is a densely populated residential neighborhood known as Harleston Village.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear the news about this senseless act of violence,” said Helen Hill, CEO of Explore Charleston, the region’s tourism development agency. “The College is woven into the very fabric of our city. This isolated incident certainly does not reflect the Charleston culture that we know and love, but we respect that doesn’t alleviate the pain and profound loss being felt by Mrs. Austin and the families affected.”
The shooting comes less than a week after a spate of three shootings last weekend in which two people were killed. One shooting just blocks away on Magazine Street, left two people with injuries.
Councilman Mike Seekings represents residents living near the shooting site and also is an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston. He said he met Suzanne Austin in passing, but didn’t meet her husband.
Seekings said he walked from his Montagu Street home to the site of the crime after he found out about the shooting. Walking back toward Roper Hospital, he said he stopped and talked with about 20 people about what happened.
“We are a neighborhood that looks out for each other,” Seekings said. “It’s a peaceful community that houses residents, the College of Charleston, businesses — it’s a very close-knit community.”
Seekings said people in his neighborhood are grieving for the victim and his family, but they are also shocked and want answers.
He’s heard from residents and business and property owners along the King Street corridor. “Think about what’s happened on King Street in the last 60 days,” Seekings said. “This is another sort of bone-jarring event in a series that have put King Street on high alert. They have a certain and understandable level of unease.”
The King Street corridor, already under constraints because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, was also the site of a riot and protests that take place regularly.
The residents in the Harleston Village neighborhood, though not right next to White Point Garden, are anxious, especially with ongoing protests and threats of violence on Sundays. “We as a city have to do everything we can to make sure our citizens are safe,” Seekings said. Councilwoman Marie Delcioppo, whose district stretches from Daniel Island to near the shooting scene, said she hadn’t heard from her downtown constituents about the shooting. Scott Anthony, president of the Harleston Village Neighborhood Association, said in an emailed statement the slaying was a “shock” to the community.
“One of the greatest amenities of our neighborhood is the simple pleasure of a peaceful stroll through our wonderful city,” Anthony said. “Today, that pleasure was tainted by the callous action of these evildoers.”
Anthony said Friday’s shooting is another one of the recent losses the community has seen. “The recent string of violent crime on the peninsula must come to an end,” he said.
The area south of Spring Street had a series of holdups in 2015, including a brazen daylight heist of $700,000 in merchandise from Demetre Jewelers on King Street, just a few blocks from the site of Friday’s shooting.
That same year, an Upstate family of three was robbed at gunpoint and two men at knifepoint in separate incidents while walking near the popular Battery sea wall.
Perhaps the most notorious incident occurred on April 24, 1994, when Georgia tourist Elliot Davis was gunned down by robbers while walking with his girlfriend near the corner of Church and Chalmers streets. The killing attracted wide attention, as Davis, 31, was the first tourist killed in Charleston in more than 25 years. That case remains unsolved.
Police said anyone with information on Friday’s shooting can call the on-duty detective at 843-743-7200.
Glenn Smith, Thomas
Novelly, Jenna Schiferl contributed to this report. Reach Sara Coello at 843-937-5705 and follow her on Twitter.
