WALTERBORO, S.C. — The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is now investigating a Wednesday shooting in Colleton County that followed a traffic stop.
According to a statement released by the state agency, the gunfire occurred when a Walterboro Police officer had initiated the stop. Based on the preliminary details, the Walterboro officer opened fire after a confrontation with an armed man.
That person ran from the scene on foot and has not yet been identified. At this point, there are no reports of injuries from the shooting.
SLED routinely conducts independent investigations of shootings involving law enforcement at the request of the agency involved in the incident. Part of the process will include interviews with potential witnesses and collecting evidence, testing it forensically as needed.
While it's not clear if anyone was struck by the gunfire, SLED is counting this as the 35th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2021. The state reported 49 in 2020, none of which involved the Walterboro Police Department, according to a spokesperson for the state agency.
