LEXINGTON, S.C. – A Gaston man has died after firing gunshots at Lexington County deputies early Friday morning.
The suspect’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
“The sequence of events started just before 2 a.m. at a truck stop off I-20,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “We received a call about a domestic dispute in which a man was holding a gun to a woman’s head and attempting to take her vehicle.
“The man got away in the woman’s car before we arrived so we started looking for it in the area,” Koon said.
Deputies made contact with the vehicle several miles away and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, according to Koon. The suspect turned down Seleta Circle and eventually got out of his car and fired multiple shots toward deputies as he ran toward a house.
“Once he was inside the house, we saw him pointing his gun again at deputies,” Koon said. “Deputies returned fire, striking the suspect before going inside the house to render aid.”
The suspect was transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, according to Koon.
“As is standard procedure in these situations, we’ve placed the deputy involved in the shooting on paid administrative leave while we conduct an internal review,” Koon said. “I’ve also asked SLED to conduct the investigation into the shooting, which is also standard, to ensure an unbiased and thorough assessment of what happened.”