Shots reportedly fired near SC power station. Sheriff is skeptical it was an attack

Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan said Thursday he has no evidence that anyone was trying to attack a South Carolina power plant when shots were reportedly fired in the plant vicinity this week.

In the wake of an attack on a North Carolina power plant last weekend, speculation has swirled over whether the reported shots near the Wateree hydroelectric station are linked to domestic terrorism.

But in an afternoon statement, Boan indicated that isn’t the case.

“We currently have no evidence leading us to believe this incident involves any type of attack on the Duke Energy hydro station,’’ Boan’s statement said. “The shooting appears to be a random act and the only connection between the shooting and the hydro station is their proximity.’’

Duke Energy said earlier it had been in touch with the Federal Bureau of Investigation about the report. Boan said his department is still investigating the report with the FBI and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division..

The sheriff’s department, however, released a video Thursday of Boan standing on a dirt road near the hydro plant.

On the video, Boan showed that shell casings from a gun were found in a wooded area on one side of the road. The hydro plant was on the other side of the road about a half mile away through a stand of woods, the sheriff said in the video. The power plant was not visible in the video.

“As of right now, I’m just not seeing the connection,’’ the sheriff said.

The shots were reportedly fired by a person hanging out the window of a speeding car. Authorities learned of the incident about around 4:30 to 5 p.m. Wednesday. Authorities believe the car was a Honda hatchback, according to reports from the sheriff’s department.

A sheriff’s department report said shell casings were not found on a part of the road where the power plant is visible. Another report released by the sheriff’s department said it appeared that whoever fired the shots was “firing in the direction of the woods, away from any equipment.’’

Even so, Boan’s office encouraged anyone with additional information about the Kershaw County incident to contact the department at 803-425-1512.

Duke Energy, which owns the power plant in Kershaw County, said it had no confirmation of any damage to the Wateree hydro plant.

“We are aware of reports of gunfire at our Wateree hydro station,’’ Duke spokeswoman Shawna Berger said. “No individuals were harmed, there were no outages reported and there is no known property damage at this time. We are working closely with the FBI on this issue.’’

The Wateree power station is in a rural section of Kershaw County at the Lake Wateree dam, which is about 30 miles northeast of Columbia.

Thousands of Duke Energy customers in North Carolina lost power Saturday night after authorities said one or more people drove up to two substations there, breached the gates and opened fire, The Associated Press reported.

The issue has sparked questions across the country about domestic terrorism threats to power stations.

Boan previously had told WLTX-TV that people said someone fired from the passenger side window of a vehicle that went by, the AP reported.

Meanwhile, Berger said Duke has a “top flight team’’ that monitors and responds to threats to power facilities, but she also encouraged anyone who sees something amiss near a Duke power plant to let authorities know.

“An informed public that reports suspicious behavior is a powerful defense,’’ she told The State. “If you see anything suspicious like a vehicle that is not a Duke Energy car or truck near a substation or any of our facilities, call 911.’’

The Associated Press contributed to this story.