Man shot and killed by Lexington County deputy identified
The Lexington County coroner has named the man that was killed during what the sheriff described as a shootout with deputies.
Chad Willis Huggins was shot by a Lexington County Sheriff’s Department deputy and pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, Coroner Margaret Fisher said in a statement.
A deputy shot the 28-year-old man after he assaulted his ex-girlfriend at gun point, stole her car and led police on a brief chase ending at a house on the 200 block of Seleta Drive in Leesville, according to deputies reports and Sheriff Jay Koon.
The man got out of the stolen car and fired multiple times at deputies before going into a house, the reports said. Three other people were inside the house and Huggins continued to point his gun at deputies. When a deputy fired, the officer hit Huggins once, a shot that led to his death, according to the reports and Koon.
A deputy involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave, sheriff’s department spokesperson Capt. Adam Myrick said.
Huggins’ ex-girlfriend told deputies that he had a history of using methamphetamine and was using frequently in the two weeks leading up to the incident, a report shows.
An autopsy that will help determine if Huggins used any drugs before the altercation is scheduled for Sunday, Fisher said.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting.