7 officers shot, 1 dead, in S. Carolina
Suspect arrested after two-hour standoff
Seven law enforcement officers were shot, one fatally after a suspect opened fire on deputies attempting to serve a search warrant to a house in Florence, S.C., about 4 p.m. Wednesday, officials said.
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 an unspecified number of children. After an approximately two-hour standoff, the suspect, who was not identified by officials, was arrested.
City of Florence spokesman John Wukela identified the fallen officer as Terrence Carraway, The Associated Press reported. Carraway had just celebrated 30 years as a police officer in the city, Wukela said. Chief Allen Heidler called Carraway “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. The suspect had an advantageous vantage point of several hundred yards, officials said.
“These officers went there unknowing the firepower this suspect had,” Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone told reporters, tears visible in his eyes. “He had an advantage. The officers couldn’t get to the ones that were down.”
The six wounded officers were receiving treatment at a local hospital.
The state’s elected officials were joined by President Donald Trump in expressing shock at the violence.
“This is simply devastating news from Florence,” Gov. Henry McMaster tweeted. “The selfless acts of bravery from the men and women in law enforcement is real.”
“These officers went there unknowing the firepower this suspect had. He had an advantage. The officers couldn’t get to the ones that were down.” KENNEY BOONE, FLORENCE COUNTY SHERIFF