SUMTER, S.C. — A weekend shooting at a Sumter event venue left one man injured and prompted new safety policies aimed at tightening security and limiting the types of events allowed moving forward.
The Silver Spoon Event Center announced the changes following a shooting that happened early Sunday morning, Dec. 28.
According to the Sumter Police Department, officers were called to the Silver Spoon Event Center around 2 a.m. When they arrived, they found a 30-year-old man outside the venue with a gunshot wound.
Investigators believe the shooting happened inside the event center. Police said the victim has not cooperated with the ongoing investigation. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment. His injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
Silver Spoon CEO David Witherspoon said the new policies are focused on safety and security, and on limiting the types of events allowed inside the venue. He said the changes align with new policies approved by the Sumter City Council for special event facilities.
“We are putting strict measures to it with safety measures,” he said. “We have a 24-hour surveillance camera now working with the police department, and we are doing elegant events that we have in the background. We’ve been here for seven years, and we had thousands of events, and this was an isolated event, and we know this will never happen again.”
Additional changes now in effect include allowing only theme-based events, armed security monitoring, a stricter vetting process for future renters, reduced party sizes from 200 to 120, seating limited to 50 people in the main room, and new time restrictions.
Ending at 12, so we have two times: we have 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then, now we’re going to cut off from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m., so you should be finished by 11:30 and out by 12.”
Former renter and Sumter resident Sam Spencer said that while the new policies may limit certain events, he understands the decision.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard of anything happening there, so now that he is even more strict about who rents it and the polices that have been written in, I think it’s going to be a good thing for Sumter and great thing for Sumter,” Spencer said.
Anyone interested in booking or learning more about the updated policies can find additional information on the Silver Spoon Event Center’s website.