IRMO, S.C. — A suspect is dead, and two members of the U.S. Marshal Service have been wounded following an attempted arrest in the Irmo area on Friday morning.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals said members of its Carolina Regional Fugitive Task Force had located a man wanted out of Richmond County, Georgia, on charges of child rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery and two counts of child molestation in Georgia.
According to the agency, the suspect, identified by the Marshal Service as George Curtis, opened fire on task force members, and an exchange of gunfire left two Deputy U.S. Marshals wounded. The U.S. Marshal spokesperson said both are listed as stable, and their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
The suspect died of what authorities believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The update follows a report of multiple law enforcement agencies at the Extended Stay America hotel on Kenley Road, off Lake Murray Boulevard, near Irmo around 7 a.m.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Richland County Sheriff's Department, and the Columbia Police Department all went to the scene.
SLED has since taken over the investigation at the request of the U.S. Marshal Service, the state agency confirmed on Friday. SLED plans to release more information by news release but said the investigation is still active.