Richland deputy ‘lucky’ to survive shooting, sheriff says
A Richland County sheriff’s deputy is unhurt after his patrol car was fired into at least three times when he responded to a call on Monday afternoon.
Around 1:40 p.m., Deputy Josiah McComb responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at a home on the 2500 block of Marathon Drive, between Bluff Road and Shop Road. When the deputy pulled up to the scene, a 23-year-old man standing outside the home with a rifle opened fire on the car, striking it at least three times and shattering a portion of the windshield, Sheriff Leon Lott said Monday.
McComb returned fire from inside his vehicle and struck the gunman in the arm, Lott said. The suspect then ran to a neighboring house and grabbed a woman around the neck, apparently attempting to hold her hostage. The woman’s spouse, however, disarmed the man and the deputy was able to take him into custody.
Lott displayed photos of the damage to the cruiser at a press conference Monday afternoon.
“We’re very fortunate the department did not lose a deputy today,” Lott said. “We’re lucky (the deputy) wasn’t killed, and it’s not because this guy didn’t try.”
An investigation is ongoing into the shooting, Lott said. On Monday, the suspect was in the hospital receiving treatment for his gunshot wound, before being transported to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Lott said McComb is a two-year veteran of the department.
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 5:26 PM.
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