SC park ranger involved in rare shooting of suspect

South Carolina’s 46th shooting this year by a law enforcement officer is a rare case of a state park ranger firing at a suspect.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating Thursday’s shooting at Hickory Knob State Park in McCormick County, the agency said. The suspect was shot during a fight that erupted after the ranger confronted the man, SLED spokesman Thom Berry said.

The ranger, who was uninjured, did not know if the man was armed during the fight, Berry told the Index Journal newspaper.

The suspect’s injuries were not life threatening, Berry said. McCormick County Sheriff Clarke Stearns said the wounded suspect also punched a deputy.

Neither the suspect nor the ranger has been publicly identified. The ranger is on administrative leave, said Dawn Dawson-House, spokeswoman for the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

This is the first officer-involved shooting this year to involve a park ranger, SLED said. The total number of officer-involved cases has exceed last year’s total by five with 30 days remaining in 2017, according to SLED’s figures.

This story was originally published December 1, 2017 at 1:32 PM with the headline "SC park ranger involved in rare shooting of suspect."