SLED: Two shot in officer-involved shooting in Darlington County

DARLINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – Agents with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division were called to investigate an officer-involved shooting in Darlington County, spokesperson Tommy Crosby said.

According to information from the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting happened off of Trexler Street in Darlington before 9 a.m. Thursday. No deputies were injured due to the shooting, authorities said.

According to SLED, deputies were trying to serve an arrest warrant when a confrontation took place and two men were ultimately shot by law enforcement.

Both men were taken to an area hospital and the extent of their injuries is not currently available, SLED officials said.

One DCSO deputy suffered minor injuries from a traffic crash that was caused due to the suspect trying to leave the area following the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.

Roger Koontz lives a few houses down from the site of the shooting and crash and said he woke up to the sound of gunfire just before 9 a.m.

“I saw the crash as I was walking out the door, and on the scene the cops had their guns drawn and they were circling the vehicle and then they called the ambulance and tended to him," said Koontz.

Koontz said his neighborhood is usually quiet.

“I’m 49 years old and I’ve never seen anything like this. This is Jerry Springer, it really is, not in this neighborhood this is a very quiet neighborhood," said Koontz.

This is the 35th officer-involved shooting in S.C. in 2020, according to SLED, and the first of the year involving the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2019, there were 45 officer-involved shootings in the state., with two involving the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, a press release stated.