Lexington County police standoff ends with suspect’s death, sheriff says
One person is dead following a standoff with law enforcement in a West Columbia neighborhood, Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said 29-year-old Shavon Marquise Wright died at the scene of the standoff.
Deputies arrived at a home at about 6:30 a.m., Koon said. A man inside, later identified as Wright, had two outstanding warrants, both for possession of illegal firearms, and deputies were trying to arrest him.
Deputies used robots and a drone to try to reach the house, Koon said, and Wright shot at the robots. He then aimed his weapon at police officers. Officers fired at Wright and shot him in the jaw, Koon said.
For several hours afterward, law enforcement’s communication with Wright was on and off, Koon said.
Wright had barricaded himself in a bathroom, Koon said. When the sheriff’s office finally got to Wright, he looked “incapacitated,” according to Koon.
Koon said that Wright had threatened law enforcement and the public on social media.
“Today’s events can be traced back to an investigation that started June 8 when we received a complaint about Wright pointing a gun at some neighbors,” Koon said. “Neighbors tell us he could often be seen carrying a long gun around his yard and out to his mailbox, something that’s unusual in the residential area where Wright lived in West Columbia.”
One resident of the neighborhood, Bobby Fontenot, said he was awakened by blue lights as police began to arrive Wednesday morning.
“Everything came in stages,” Fontenot said. After police came emergency medical services, then more police.
A recording began playing in front of a neighborhood house, demanding that someone “come out of the house with your hands up,” Fontenot said.
Koon said deputies tried to arrest Wright when he was unarmed and away from his home on Montclaire Circle.
“Since he did not afford us that opportunity in a timely manner, we deployed a tactical team to Wright’s home to arrest him,” Koon said. “After we engaged him verbally, it became apparent he was not coming out.”
Koon said he asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to lead an investigation into the shooting.
“There was a mental health component to the initial response this morning with counselors making contact with Wright,” Koon said. “Overall, this was just an unfortunate situation.”
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This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 2:52 PM.
