Teen's shooting death brings out task force

COLUMBIA - Authorities are investigating the shooting death of a 15-year-old at a gas station parking lot early Sunday, Columbia police said.

John Allen Givens Jr. died at about 1:15 a.m. of a gunshot wound to the back, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said.

He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said Mr. Watts, who scheduled an autopsy today.

Columbia Police Sgt. Florence McCants said investigators had called in the gang task force, but she didn't know if they had made any connections.

Officer's traffic stop yields his stolen bike

GREENVILLE - A Greenville police officer found his stolen motorcycle after stopping a truck that didn't have its headlights on, authorities said.

Cpl. Jeremiah Motz said he saw a pickup driving through his apartment complex parking lot early Saturday morning with a bike in the back.

When the driver spotted the officer, he sped off, according to a police report.

The truck eventually pulled over in a church parking lot, police said.

Cpl. Motz checked the license tag and confirmed the motorcycle was the one taken from his yard the day before.

Steven Dale Baker, 24, of Liberty, and Jamie Lee Crider, 27, of Greenville, have been charged with grand larceny, according to arrest warrants.

ATV wreck on dirt road takes 22-year-old's life

COLUMBIA - A Swansea man was killed when he lost control of an all-terrain vehicle he was riding and struck a tree headfirst, the state Highway Patrol said.

Frederick O. Dease, 22, died Saturday on a dirt road in Lexington County. Troopers have not found any witnesses to the crash but estimate Mr. Dease died at about 3 p.m.

The ATV was a "good distance" from the body. Troopers think someone could have pushed it off the road.

College in Greenville now called university

COLUMBIA - North Greenville College has changed its name to North Greenville University after a decade of expansion and the addition of a graduate studies program.

Trustees and school administrators said the new name reflects its size and spirit.

North Greenville was $3 million in debt and had about 300 students about a decade ago. Now the private Baptist school has more than 1,800 students enrolled.

Trustees approved the name change last month.