‘Shots fired’ led to a 3-hour police standoff at an SC home. Then it caught fire

The Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man after a three-hour standoff that ended in a residence catching fire, the office announced.

The sheriff’s office arrested Walter Deonte Halley, 31. Halley was already “wanted” by law enforcement for allegedly shooting someone in the leg on Jan. 3, officials said.

Deputies responded to a report of “shots fired” in Lugoff around 5:30 p.m. Friday, the sheriff’s office said. No one was injured.

However, the person who spoke with deputies when they arrived said that a man had fired a gun at him and barricaded himself in a home on the 1400 block of Horsehead Lane. Then the sheriff’s special response team and Camden Police Department negotiators responded to the scene.

The suspect, officials said, was “very hesitant” to come out of the house and “began threatening suicide.”

Halley stepped out of the back door of the house, and the sheriff’s special response team attempted to apprehend him with a “less lethal” beanbag shot and a K-9 unit. A beanbag shot is a shotgun shell loaded with a cloth bag, often containing a lead shot, according to police experts.

Halley made it back inside, and the special response team began throwing gas through the windows of the house. The house then caught fire, the sheriff’s office said, and team members entered to rescue the man.

The Pine Grove Fire Department, the Lugoff Fire Department and Kershaw County EMS responded to the scene.

Halley received medical aid before he was taken to the Kershaw County Detention Center.

This story was originally published January 20, 2024 at 3:16 PM.

Alexa Jurado

The State

Alexa Jurado is a news reporter for The State covering Lexington County and Richland County schools. She previously wrote about the University of South Carolina and contributes to this coverage. A Chicago suburbs native, Alexa graduated from Marquette University and previously wrote for publications in Illinois and Wisconsin. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the Milwaukee Press Club and the South Carolina Press Association.