UPDATE, 11:20 a.m.: The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that the shooter was found dead in his apartment. In a press release, spokesman Eric Watson wrote:
After making a few attempts to make contact with the subject in the apartment, the Charleston Police Department SWAT Team made entry into the residence and discovered the deceased body of a male. The crime scene and the entire investigation was turned over to SLED. The Coroner’s Office will determine the cause of death and the identification of the victim.
The Sheriff’s Office and Coroner Rae Wooten will release further details on the case at a noon press conference.
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One sheriff’s deputy was killed and another was injured last night after a man fired shots through the door of an apartment in West Ashley, according to a spokesman for the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office.
The names of the officers and the suspect have not been released, but Major Eric Watson and County Coroner Rae Wooten will hold a press conference to discuss the details today at noon in the Charleston County Council chambers in the Lonnie Hamilton III Public Service Building (4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston).
According to Watson, deputies responded to “a report of a disorderly subject creating a disturbance” at the Gardens Apartments, located at 1840 Carriage Lane near the intersection of Old Towne Road and Ashley River Road, at about 7:36 p.m. last night. Deputies said that while they were trying to make contact with the subject at his apartment, the man fired “multiple gunshots” through the door, striking two deputies, and then barricaded himself inside the apartment. One of the deputies reportedly returned fire, but as of 2:36 a.m. it was unclear whether the deputy had hit the suspect or whether there were additional people inside the apartment. Both deputies “sustained serious injuries,” according to a release from Watson, and they were transported to MUSC, where one of the deputies later died.
Authorities evacuated part of the apartment complex. Officers from the State Law Enforcement Division were requested to investigate the incident, and additional help came from the Charleston Police Department, North Charleston Police Department SWAT, and negotiators from CPD.
Watson says the incident ended around 4 a.m. When asked if the suspect was taken into custody, Watson replied, “No. We’ll discuss that in more detail at noon.”
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