CALHOUN COUNTY, S.C. — The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office has released new information on an incident where one of their deputies shot and killed a man during a confrontation Wednesday afternoon.
According to a statement released on Thursday, deputies were called to a report of shots fired in the 1400 block of Burke Road- an address near St. Matthews - around 11 a.m. on June 30.
When deputies arrived, they spoke with a family member who said that his father, John "Hayden" Inabinet III, had opened fire at him when he attempted to come on the property to pick up some of his personal items.
Deputies then learned from other family members and witnesses that Inabinet had suggested that he was heavily armed and wouldn't surrender to law enforcement if they came on his property, threatening to shoot them instead.
Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers personally made contact with the suspect, who he said in a statement he had known for many years and urged him to surrender peacefully.
However, deputies say Inabinet allegedly threatened to shoot any deputy who approached him. Negotiations continued but ultimately failed and deputies obtained a warrant for his arrest on a charge of attempted murder.
The sheriff said he again made contact with Inabinet by phone and attempted to get him to surrender but was again unsuccessful.
K-9 units were ultimately called to the scene where deputies found the suspect on the porch. The sheriff's office said he responded to their approach by pointing a pistol at them.
"One deputy fired at Inabinet fatally wounding him," the sheriff's office said in its statement. "Deputies on scene rendered aid to Mr. Inabinet and he was transported to Orangeburg Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead."
According to the sheriff's office, a search of the home ultimately uncovered several handguns and rifles positioned around the home and even in the crawl space below it.
“This is a very tragic situation for everyone involved," Sheriff Summers said in the most recent update. “We did our best to get Mr. Inabinet to surrender peacefully, but it is obvious based on our conversations and the findings at the scene, he had plans to commit violence."
The sheriff also commended his sheriff's office and the deputy who fired at Inabinet, who he said did so as a last resort.
He didn't identify the deputy but said that he is a "seasoned law enforcement officer with 20 years of experience." That deputy has now been placed on administrative leave as part of the standard protocol for the department while the State Law Enforcement Divison performs an independent investigation.