Suspected killer shot himself as deputies approached, sheriff says

A North Carolina man wanted for killing his son and wounding his ex-wife shot himself Wednesday as law enforcement approached his Columbia motel room, officials said.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s SWAT team was approaching Days Inn on Plumbers Road, near Fort Jackson, when they hard a gunshot. They entered and found Earl Arnold Valentine, 45, of Charlotte.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said Valentine died from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at 9 p.m. Wednesday. The coroner’s office conducted an autopsy on Valentine on Thursday morning.

Valentine is accused of shooting his son and ex-wife in North Carolina on Tuesday. The son died and the ex-wife is hospitalized in serious condition, Watts said.

After the shooting, Valentine used Facebook to admit to the attack, the Associated Press reported.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 2:33 PM.