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Greenville County, South Carolina sheriff Hobart Lewis provided details about an officer-involved shooting that occurred last month at the Greenville Inn & Suites on South Pleasantburg Drive.
According to Lewis, deputies with the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) responded to the area at around 2:40 p.m. EST in search of a suspect linked to an armed robbery in Pickens County. Upon locating the suspect’s vehicle, deputies identified the armed individual and engaged in an altercation that resulted in the shooting.
Per a statement from the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the armed individual was 45-year-old Sean Scates. According to the statement, Scates struck a deputy with his vehicle and then – upon exiting the car – presented a firearm. At this point, GCSO deputies shot him.

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Scates sustained a single gunshot wound and was transported to the hospital. The Greenville County coroner announced he died shortly after 3 p.m. EST.
Although no law enforcement officials were injured, Sheriff Lewis confirmed that several deputies involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, a standard protocol following officer-involved shootings.
A separate video posted by friends of the suspect was posted on Facebook that appeared to show the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
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SLED is continuing to investigate the shooting, but has not released any additional information at this time. 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. Additionally, the GCSO Office of Professional Standards is conducting an internal review to assess adherence to departmental policies.
Sheriff Lewis noted that a critical incident video related to the event will be released on March 9, 2025 via the department’s YouTube channel.
Last week’s incident marks GSCO’s first officer-involved shooting this year. So far, this is South Carolina’s seventh officer-involved shooting of 2025, compared to the 45 which took place last year.
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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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4 comments
Hey man, nice shot!
Should have went peacefully and not pull a gun on the Poh Poh. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes! Another Brother now ” Victim of the man ” ???????????? Poh Poh. Freddies dead was probably dealing junk.
I watched a few minutes of the video, but I couldn’t take that woman’s screaming.
Your criminal friend is dead.