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Agents with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) are investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred in Pickens County on Monday (July 8, 2024), according to a news release from the statewide law enforcement agency.
On the day of the incident, the Easley Police Department (EPD) received multiple 9-1-1 calls about a man armed with a baseball bat making threats and shoplifting from a Tractor Supply Company store prior to fleeing the scene.
According to SLED’s release, an officer responded to the calls and encountered the man outside a nearby home armed with an axe – which resulted in an altercation which led to the officer fatally shooting the armed suspect. The suspect – whose identity has not been release – died at the scene, according to the Pickens County Pickens coroner’s office.
EPD requested that SLED investigate the incident.
SLED investigates officer-involved shootings as a matter of protocol in the vast majority of local law enforcement jurisdictions in the Palmetto State – presenting investigative reports to the solicitor with jurisdiction over the county or municipality where the shooting transpired.
As this is an ongoing investigation, SLED stated that agents will conduct interviews with all potential witnesses, collect all relevant evidence and forensically test such evidence as needed and summarize information gathered during the investigation in a case file report to be submitted to prosecutors.
SLED indicated that “no other information” will be disclosed by the agency at this time.
This incident in Pickens County was the second officer-involved shooting this year involving the Easley Police Department – who had none in 2023. Furthermore, this is the 24th officer-involved shooting so far this year in South Carolina – which is more than half of the total officer-involved shootings (43) that occurred in 2023.
Here’s the news release provided by SLED …
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THE RELEASE …
(SLED)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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2 comments
Sounds justified to me.
I second that, sounds justified.