Suspect dies following shooting near Dorn VA hospital

One man is dead after an officer-involved shooting in an apartment complex near the Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center Monday.

Columbia Police officers were working with U.S. marshals and S.C. Law Enforcement Division agents to serve an arrest warrant on a Texas murder suspect in the 300 block of Byron Road near Garners Ferry Road just before noon, authorities said.

As officers approached the suspect, officials said he began to fire on them. Officers returned fire, striking the suspect, whose name was not made public by police.

He was transported to Palmetto Health Richland but died, Lt. Curtis Wilson of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said. Police were unsure if officers killed the suspect or if the suspect was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Wilson said.

The Richland County coroner’s office will determine cause of death.

Rebekah Hickerson was working at Woodhill Family Dentistry, next door to the apartments where the shooting happened,

“About eight cop cars at first came,” she said. “It was about 12:30 when we saw someone on the stretcher.”

Hickerson said a woman near the apartment complex appeared to be stuck in her car during the exchange of gunfire.

“A couple of cops went up to her and had her crawl to safety,” she said.

Police initially taped off a broad area, including the dentist’s office, Hickerson added.

“We were wondering if we needed to call our patients this afternoon because the caution tape was (all around) so nobody could get in, but they moved it for us,” she said.

No officers were injured during the shooting, authorities say.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department will lead the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 12:32 PM.