Lexington County deputy shoots at home break-in suspect armed with a rifle

A Lexington County deputy investigating a home break-in early Saturday morning fired shots at an armed suspect he found upstairs in the home.

The break-in happened around 6:40 a.m. at a house in the 300 block of Mapleview Drive near Irmo, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post.

While deputies were doing a security sweep of the house, they heard a commotion upstairs, officials said. The officers then were confronted by an armed suspect holding a rifle, according to the sheriff’s department.

A deputy fired multiple shots, but no one was struck, the sheriff’s department said.

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the break-in. They have not yet been formally charged, and sheriff’s department has not publicly identified them.

There were four family members inside the house at the time of the break-in, including three children, according to department spokesman Capt. Adam Myrick. Some of the residents were injured during the incident, though the injuries were not life-threatening, Myrick said.

Deputies do not believe the break-in was a random act.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the incident, as it does every case of an officer-involved shooting in South Carolina.

This story may be updated as more details are available.

This story was originally published December 30, 2017 at 11:23 AM with the headline "Lexington County deputy shoots at home break-in suspect armed with a rifle."