Suspect Charged, Officer on Leave After Shooting in Charleston County 

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An officer in South Carolina’s Lowcountry is on administrative leave after a service call ended in a stabbing, a shooting, an attempted murder charge and brief hospitalizations for both men.

According to investigators, the violent encounter began around 5:15 p.m. EDT on Tuesday (March 18, 2025), when an officer of the Mount Pleasant Police Department (MPPD) responded to an indecent exposure report at First Horizon Bank on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.

The responding officer located an individual matching the suspect’s description near East Cooper Plaza, a shopping center adjacent to the bank, and made contact. Moments later, Jason McConnell Yount, 42, allegedly stabbed the officer in or near the neck with a knife.

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? #BREAKING: A Mount Pleasant Police Department (#MPPD) officer is being transported to the hospital after being “injured,” leading to an alleged officer-involved shooting (#OIS) outside First Horizon Bank on Johnnie Dodds Blvd.

Sources tell @FITSNews the suspect is en route to… pic.twitter.com/Ty1NawDpRJ

— Andrew Fancher (@RealAndyFancher) March 18, 2025

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The officer fired his department-issued weapon, striking Yount, who eventually collapsed near a guardrail along Johnnie Dodds Boulevard — in view of oncoming traffic.

“He just fucking shot that guy,” one bystander remarked in video recorded moments after the shooting, capturing the officer checking himself for injuries while keeping his weapon trained on Yount. “Holy shit. Holy shit. That dude just attacked the cop.”

A spokeswoman for the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which was requested to investigate the officer-involved shooting, declined to say how many shots were fired, adding: “More information may be available at a later time.”

Both the officer and Yount were transported to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) with “non-life-threatening injuries,” according to MPPD Sgt. Robert Blaschke, who told FITSNews both individuals were released from the hospital by Wednesday.

Following the incident, the officer was placed on administrative leave — a common step after officer-involved shootings.

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? #BREAKING: A spokeswoman for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (#SLED) tells @FITSNews an investigation is underway into Tuesday’s officer-involved shooting (#OIS) in Mount Pleasant, S.C., which left an officer injured.

After FITSNews exclusively broke this story, a… pic.twitter.com/BggqP5kdS2

— Andrew Fancher (@RealAndyFancher) March 20, 2025

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Judicial records show Yount was booked into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center around 6:44 p.m. EDT on Thursday. That same day, he was formally charged with attempted murder by SLED, in an arrest warrant signed by Charleston County Magistrate Amanda S. Haselden.

According to a probable cause affidavit attached to the warrant, “Yount did assault and stab a [MPPD] officer with a knife, causing multiple injuries. The officer made contact with Yount during a call for service, and during the call, Yount attacked the officer.”

“The above facts,” the affidavit concludes, “are true and believable based on the investigation conducted by [SLED].”

This marks the ninth officer-involved shooting reported in Charleston County this year, according to data maintained by SLED.

Just last week, the agency charged former MPPD Officer Andrew Rowell with possession with intent to distribute 9.81 grams of cocaine. The investigation began after a neighbor reportedly opened a mis-delivered package addressed to Rowell and discovered 6.31 grams of cocaine inside.

SLED’s investigations into both cases appear to remain active and ongoing.

This story may be updated.

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THE RECEIPTS…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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