SC police: Robbery suspect takes hostage, is killed by officers

A man who took a store clerk hostage during a S.C. robbery has been shot to death by officers, authorities said.

Jasper County deputy Dan Morgan suffered a minor foot injury during the shootout about 8 a.m. Monday in Hardeeville, and the hostage may have twisted her ankle running from the Dollar General, Hardeeville spokesman Juan Singleton said.

Officers arrived at the store just as the robbery took place because guests at a motel across U.S. 17 called 911 when they saw a masked man in the parking lot walking toward the store, Singleton said.

“The officers were there very quickly,” Singleton said.

Investigators still are trying to figure out how many shots were fired, how Morgan was hurt and which officers fired their weapons, Singleton said. The State Law Enforcement Division has been called in to investigate the suspect’s death.

The suspect died a short time after the shooting at the hospital, Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls said.

His name has not been released. “I’m still working on who he is,” Sauls said.

Hardeeville has about 4,300 people. Singleton said Jasper County deputies also responded to the store because of the danger as the suspect took a hostage.

The Hardeeville shooting was the 20th shooting involving a S.C. police officer this year. There were 48 in 2015, SLED said.