Man taken into custody after standoff in which Lexington Co. deputy was shot
A Lexington County Sheriff’s Department deputy was shot Saturday, and a man was taken into custody following a long standoff and negotiation overnight in the Manchester Park subdivision, officials said.
The man was taken from a barricaded home after 3 a.m., the sheriff’s department said on Twitter. He surrendered to law enforcement, said Tommy Crosby, spokesman for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The man was identified as Mark Louis Cote, according to SLED. The 70-year-old shot the deputy who was responding to a domestic violence call, Crosby said.
Following the gunfire, Cote retreated inside the home with the weapon, setting the stage for an hours-long standoff, according to Crosby.
There was a large first responder presence at the scene off Old Barnwell Road, with state, county and local agencies initially responding. Neighbors near the home were briefly relocated for safety reasons, the sheriff’s department said.
Residents were urged to stay inside while the situation was ongoing. The deputy was one of three responding to a call Saturday involving a domestic incident, a spokesman for the sheriff’s department said.
Shortly after 4:30 p.m., the deputy suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body. He was taken to an area hospital, and his injuries were non-life threatening, the spokesman said.
The deputy was treated and released and was “resting comfortably” at home, Capt. Adam Myrick told The State on Sunday morning.
No other law enforcement officers were injured in the incident, Crosby said.
It is unclear how many shots were fired.
Cote was alone when he was barricaded inside the home, police said. At roughly 7:35 p.m., officers with SLED made contact with him. A woman involved in the original call went to a neighbor’s house and is safe.
Although Cote did not suffer any injuries, after he surrendered he was taken to an area hospital as a precautionary measure, according to Crosby.
Because Cote has not been released from the hospital, no charges have been filed. Once he’s medically cleared, Cote is expected to be arrested for multiple crimes that are still under evaluation, Crosby said.
Manchester Park neighbors the area of Red Bank to the east, roughly six miles south of I-20 and off Shirway Road.
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This story was originally published September 5, 2020 at 6:02 PM.
