7 officers shot, 1 fatally, in S. Carolina

Seven law enforcement officers were shot, one fatally, after a suspect opened fire Wednesday on deputies attempting to serve a search warrant to a house in Florence, S.C., authorities said.

The incident occurred about 4 p.m. Wednesday.

From inside the home, the suspect fired on the deputies, striking three of them, officials said. The suspect continued to fire as officers from other departments arrived to assist.

The wounded were evacuated after police drove in with a bullet-resistant vehicle, while the suspect barricaded himself inside along with a number of children, officials said.

After an approximately two-hour standoff, the suspect was arrested. Officials have not released the suspect’s name.

The officer who was fatally shot was from the Florence Police Department. Authorities did not release the officer’s name.

Chief Allen Heidler told reporters that he had known the officer for 30 years, calling him “the bravest police officer that I have ever known.”

Officials expressed shock and anger that violence broke out while deputies were serving what they called a “random search warrant,” a relatively routine investigative procedure.

“These officers went there unknowing the firepower this suspect had,” Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone told reporters. “He had an advantage. The officers couldn’t get to the ones that were down.”

The six officers are receiving treatment at a local hospital.

President Donald Trump tweeted: “My thoughts and prayers are with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the Florence Police Department tonight, in South Carolina.”