UPDATE: On Saturday, authorities clarified information from the initial stages of their investigation and said that a DNR officer was taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution to be evaluated but was uninjured.
LEE COUNTY, S.C. -- Authorities say a law enforcement officer was shot, and a K-9 is dead after a search for a suspect ended in gunfire on Friday in Lee County around 10 a.m. Authorities said the case may be connected to an incident where a suspect shot and injured an officer in Chesterfield County Thursday night.
Sheriff Daniel Simon initially said his chief deputy and an officer with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources were wounded on Friday morning as authorities were searching for the suspect. Horry County Police, who are investigating the incident, later clarified that the DNR officer was taken to the hospital out of caution but not wounded.
The deputy is expected to recover. However, Sheriff Simon said a K-9 deputy named Meka died as a result of a deputy's vehicle catching fire.
The shooting followed a Blue Alert issued by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for a man accused of shooting a police officer in McBee during a traffic stop. That officer was taken to an area hospital, and the severity of their injuries wasn’t released publicly. The Horry County Police Department took over the shooting investigation in Lee County at SLED’s request.
A statement from the Horry County Police Department, citing the Lee County coroner, said the suspect is dead but didn’t elaborate. Horry County said its investigation is ongoing. SLED is investigating the shooting in Chesterfield County.