Newberry County deputy shoots armed suspect after hostage situation

The suspect in a Newberry County hostage situation was shot Sunday when he approached officers with a weapon and threatened them, according to officials.

Deputies responded to a shooting at a home on Thornhill Lane around 11:30 a.m. Sunday and were told that there was a hostage situation in the home, Sheriff Lee Foster said in a release. The hostages – two women and a man – escaped the home, but the suspect exited with a type of long gun.

“The suspect first fled to a pasture, then hid in a ravine, but then left that position and began aggressively advancing on the officers, who were attempting to take cover behind a tree,” Foster said. “The suspect still had the firearm in his hands pointed toward the officers and was making verbal threats to the officers as he moved toward them.”

The man continued to advance on officers with his weapon despite repeated commands from officers to stop and drop the weapon, Foster said. One officer fired his weapon and hit the suspect, at which point officers disarmed him and sought medical treatment.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was taken to a Columbia-area hospital for treatment, Foster said. Both the suspect and the officer are white.

Deputies were seeking a man they say left the home before law enforcement arrived; however, he was located Sunday afternoon.

This story was originally published February 19, 2017 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Newberry County deputy shoots armed suspect after hostage situation."