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1 officer is dead, 6 are injured. Here’s what we know about Florence, SC shooting.
Florence County sheriff’s deputies went to a house in a suburban neighborhood to serve a warrant Wednesday afternoon, but were instead met with gunfire, authorities said. One law enforcement officer died and six others were injured.
Terrence Carraway, 52, who had been with the Florence Police Department for 30 years, died from his wounds.
Police say the standoff lasted about two hours in the upscale neighborhood just outside the Florence, South Carolina city limits.
Florence Sheriff’s Office Maj. Mike Nunn told The New York Times that his department had to use a military-style armored vehicle to rescue the injured officers. “The way the suspect was positioned, his view of fire was several hundred yards. He had an advantage,” Nunn told the Times.
State Senator Hugh K. Leatherman, who represents the area, told the newspaper that the suspect fired at officers with a “high-powered rifle” from a second floor window of the home.
At a news conference Wednesday night, Florence County Sheriff Kenny Boone said, “Officers went there unknowing the firepower the suspect had.” He added, “When they arrived, gunfire started, several officers were hit.”
Florence County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Glenn Kirby identified the shooter as Fred Hopkins, 74, according to WMBF.
The Associated Press reports the shooting suspect was a disbarred lawyer who had faced charges of disorderly conduct in 2014.
The station said a 27-year-old man was also shot. WMBF reports that five Florence County deputies were at the house to serve a warrant for sexual assault on the man who was shot. Another deputy and two sex crimes investigators were also there when the shooting began, WMBF says.
Wednesday night dozens of police officers surrounded the neighborhood, as officers from Richland County, brought in to lead the investigation, tried to piece together what happened.
A bloodied bullet-proof vest sat a block from the scene of the shooting, marked by police tape as officers took photos of blood in the intersection.
Charles Duncan: 843-626-0301, @duncanreporting