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by WILL FOLKS
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Agents of the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) are investigating an officer-involved shooting which took place on Saturday morning (April 25, 2026) in Florence, S.C.
According to the Florence Police Department (FPD), its officers responded at 9:15 a.m. EDT to Rushmore Loop – a neighborhood located approximately three-and-a-half miles southeast of the city center.
“On arrival officers learned that a subject was armed with a knife and was holding a female against her will,” a statement from FPD noted. “The subject ultimately ran from officers still armed with the knife.”
According to police, “the situation evolved into an officer-involved shooting.”
Initial reports from the scene indicate the suspect in the incident was “struck and is in custody,” and is “receiving medical aid.” No immediate information was available as to the suspect’s status.
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“The original victim is being assessed for injury but appeared okay,” Florence police noted, adding that no officers were injured during
“SLED is on scene investigating the incident,” the statement concluded. “Further information will come through SLED.”
Renée Wunderlich, public information director at SLED, confirmed her agency was “investigating an officer involved shooting in Florence County.”
“SLED’s investigation is active and ongoing at this time,” she said. “More information will be available in an upcoming news release.”
SLED investigates officer-involved shootings in the vast majority of county and municipal jurisdictions in the state, interviewing witnesses, collecting relevant physical evidence and conducting forensic testing as necessary. Once its investigation is complete, SLED investigators will present their findings to local prosecutors.
So far, there have been at least a dozen officer-involved shootings in South Carolina. Last year, there were 45 such incidents.
This is a developing story… please check back for updates.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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