Gov. Nikki Haley cancels NY fundraising trip

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley canceled a plans to attend a New York fundraiser on Wednesday so she could remain in the state after five Lexington County children were found dead in Alabama and a Charleston County sheriff's deputy was shot and killed, her campaign said.

"With the horrific tragedy in Lexington and the shooting of law enforcement officials in Charleston last night, the governor believes her place is with the people of South Carolina and decided not to travel out of state," Haley deputy campaign manager Rob Godfrey told The State.

Haley is running for re-election in November against Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen and three other third-party challengers.

The bodies of five Lexington County children, ages 1-8, were found around 4 p.m. Tuesday off Highway 10 outside the city of Camden, Ala. An Alabama district attorney told The Associated Press that the children's father is suspected of killing the five children in South Carolina and dumping the bodies in Alabama.

Charleston County Deputy Joseph Matuskovic, 45 and a 17-year veteran of law enforcement, died in the shooting Monday at a suburban Charleston apartment, the Associated Press reported. Another deputy, Michael Ackerman, 43, was shot in the leg and was undergoing surgery Tuesday.

This story was originally published September 9, 2014 at 6:45 PM with the headline "Gov. Nikki Haley cancels NY fundraising trip."