CHARLESTON, S.C. — A man accused of opening fire in a South Carolina neighborhood is dead after a confrontation with deputies.
According to a spokesperson for the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, the calls first began coming in just after 7 a.m. on Saturday that someone was firing a gun in the West Ashley community.
"We had reports that there were houses struck as well as vehicles struck," the spokesperson said. "When our deputies arrived on-scene, one of our deputies' patrol cars was struck by one of the rounds."
After the deputies took cover, authorities said one of them returned fire, striking the suspect. He was taken to the hospital but has since died.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has been called in to investigate the shooting as is the protocol for this department and others when an officer or deputy is involved. The deputy has also been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the findings of that investigation.
"At this point, there is no indication that this neighborhood is in danger," the sheriff's office spokesperson said. "We believe that there is no further threat in this neighborhood."
While the investigation is still underway, authorities said there was no indication that there was anyone else involved in the shooting before deputies arrived.
Deputies have also gone house-to-house in the neighborhood and didn't find anyone else hit by the gunfire.
SLED reports this as the 29th shooting involving an officer or deputy in South Carolina so far in 2021. There were a total of 49 such shootings in South Carolina in 2020 - three of which involved the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.
