A man was fatally shot Thursday night after he presented a gun at officers following a pursuit.
“Deputies attempted to pull the man over for a traffic violation shortly before 10 p.m. on Shumpert Road,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “The suspect failed to stop and initiated a pursuit that ended on Mimosa Drive when deputies deployed tire deflation devices on the car he was driving.”
As the deputies approached the suspect’s vehicle, he presented a handgun, according to Koon. A deputy fired his service weapon, hitting the suspect. EMS responded and the suspect was later pronounced deceased.
“We never want to be put in a position where we have to take a life and our hearts go out to this man’s family. Our deputies were able to react quickly and rely on their training when faced with a life-or-death situation,” Koon said. “This situation could have turned out very differently and we’re thankful our deputies were not injured.”
As is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the incident.
Koon said the deputy is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the SLED investigation and an internal review of the incident.