Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- The family of Robert Shaw, the suspect in Wednesday's hours-long standoff on I-26, says they made their way to the scene to try and reason with him.
"They kept saying they were getting information about it and they would tell is if we could go back there or not, but they kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Next thing you know, they told us he got shot and he came right by us in the ambulance," said Shaw's step-daughter, Mariah Jones.
Shaw's stepchildren tell News 19 he was battling depression and did not want to go back to jail.
"Our dad is not in our lives. Our dad doesn't care about us. Robert stepped up to the plate when he knew my mom had three children of her own. He stepped up and he was a dad," said Shaw's step-daughter, Montana Jones.
While police say Shaw made a sudden move with a gun in his hand, the family believes the suspect was actually reaching over to grab his puppy he had in the car.
For the full interview with the suspect's family, click on the video attached to this story.