CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - A 20-year-old man wanted by police in the fatal shooting of a South Carolina college student this week surrendered on Friday and was charged with murder, authorities said.
Marquis Spencer McDonald, of Conway, South Carolina, surrendered to state and campus police in connection with the death of Coastal Carolina University student Anthony Darnell Liddell, 19, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
McDonald is accused of killing Liddell near the campus in Conway, near Myrtle Beach, on Tuesday night. He could face up to life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of the murder charge. He also was charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Liddell, a sophomore at the university, died of at least one gunshot wound in the parking lot of a student housing complex operated by the school.
Authorities believe that Liddell and McDonald knew each other, said Thom Berry, a spokesman for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
"We believe there was some connection between the two," Berry said. "This does not appear to be an isolated incident involving these two individuals. It just so happened to occur on a college campus."
McDonald previously had faced drug charges, according to criminal records.
About 200 Coastal Carolina students, along with faculty, staff and friends, gathered on Thursday night for a memorial service for Liddell, an exercise and sports medicine major, according to the university's website.
"A great future has been cut short by violence," university President David DeCenzo said at the ceremony. "Our society simply must change."
(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Will Dunham)