Ax-wielding man shot, killed by deputies in home with elderly mother, SC cops say

A man is dead after Spartanburg County deputies say he came after them with an ax moments after a judge ordered him committed to a hospital, according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.

Deputies were called to the Camp Croft community for a disturbance between neighbors at about 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to the statement.

On arrival, the deputies found broken glass in the road, according to the statement. When they approached the home, they met a man who was “exhibiting erratic and aggressive behavior.”

The man told deputies he thought they were there to give him a ticket for littering, according to the statement. He said he did not have the money to pay for a ticket and, at one point, went into the house to get an ax.

Deputies and the man’s mother convinced him to put the ax away, according to the statement. Worried about the man’s state, the deputies called a judge to get an order to take the man to a hospital to be evaluated.

Order signed, deputies returned to the home, and the man’s mom let them back in, according to the statement. Deputies explained the order to the family, but the man believed they were going to take him to jail.

The man picked the ax up again, and deputies removed the mother from the kitchen, according to the statement. They tried to negotiate with him, but every time the man put the ax back down, he would soon pick it up again.

Deputies say the man picked up the ax like a bat and moved towards them, according to the statement. That’s when one deputy fired, hitting the man.

The man was quickly transported to a local hospital, where he later died, according to the statement. As of Monday night, the man had yet to be identified by the coroner’s office.

The S.C. Law Enforcement Division is investigating the police shooting, according to a SLED statement. It was the 33rd officer involved shooting in South Carolina this year and the fourth involving a Spartanburg County deputy.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 12:21 PM.