ID released of man killed in Spartanburg Methodist police shooting

The state Law Enforcement Division is investigating a fatal shooting Monday night at Spartanburg Methodist College.

A man was killed in an on-campus confrontation with officers of the campus Police Department, SLED said. The investigation is ongoing.

The Spartanburg Coroner's Office identified the man who was killed as Delvin Tyrell Simmons, 20. He was a student at Limestone College in Gaffney, the Coroner's Office said, and his last known address was at Horizon Drive in Ridgeway. Simmons, a second-year student, was enrolled as an early childhood education major. He was also involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Call Me MISTER program, which is designed to create a larger, more diverse pool of available teachers.

"The thoughts and prayers of Limestone College are with the family and friends of one of its students who was killed during an incident at Spartanburg Methodist College on the evening of Nov. 9," Limestone said in a statement.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright will have a joint press conference with SMC Police Chief Teresa Ferguson at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Two campus officers, responding to a report of a vehicle break-in, encountered two individuals in a parking lot near Sparrow Residence Hall, SLED spokesman Thom Berry said. One individual ran away but was captured. The other person got into a vehicle and attempted to flee the scene, Berry said.

"According to the information that we received initially, the individual that went to the vehicle did not respond to any of the officers' commands and attempted to drive away," Berry said. "The information that we received initially was that the individual drove toward the officer, possibly striking the officer, who then fired, striking the driver of the vehicle."

The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, the Coroner's Office said.

Berry said there is no body camera or dash cam involved in the investigation because the police department does not have them.

The incident was the 42nd officer-involved shooting in South Carolina this year, matching the total from last year, SLED said. The police-involved shooting Monday was the first this year involving the Spartanburg Methodist College Police Department, SLED said.

The campus of Spartanburg Methodist College was placed on lockdown as authorities investigated the shooting. The officer wasn’t seriously injured.