Deputy hurt in shooting when responding to call for help, Richland County sheriff says

A dead man was discovered and a deputy was injured when responding to a call for help early Wednesday morning, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.

Deputies were investigating the call in northeast Columbia at the Carriage Oaks Subdivision, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. That’s in the area between Hard Scrabble Road and Summit Parkway.

When clearing the scene, deputies began being shot at and and one deputy at the scene had multiple bullets strike his vehicle, according to the release.

The deputy was not shot but was injured by glass during the gunfire, the sheriff’s department said. Further information on the deputy’s condition was not available.

The sheriff’s department said deputies did not return fire, because they could not determine the source of the gunfire.

After searching the area, the body of a deceased male was found outside of a neighboring house, according to the release.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified the male, and no cause of death has been released.

No other injuries were reported.

There was no word on a shooter, or shooters, or a motive for the gunfire.

No arrests have been reported by the sheriff’s department, which continues to investigate the incident.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is expected to hold a news conference Wednesday.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call CrimeStoppers at at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 8:08 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription