FLORENCE, S.C. — The man who fired a gun from inside his overturned car along West Lucas Street on Sunday has died after Florence County deputies shot him, Sheriff T.J. Joye said Monday. He was the only person killed, and nobody else was hurt.
Joye described the start of it as road rage. A truck cut in front of the driver, who then shot at a car he took to be that truck as it turned into the Krispy Kreme lot. The car he hit was the wrong vehicle and belonged to an off-duty Richland County deputy. One round struck its windshield.
The driver sped off, lost control and rolled into a ditch beside the frontage road, firing as the car flipped. Firefighters from West Florence were headed to what was first called in as a rollover wreck when they learned someone inside was shooting.
Deputies arrived on an active shooter call, found the man still firing and refusing commands, and shot him. An ambulance crew from the county carried him away for treatment, but he later died. Joye estimated about 30 rounds were fired in all, with 40 to 60 people nearby between a gas station and the doughnut shop.
State agents with SLED are now reviewing why deputies opened fire. Authorities have not released the driver’s name. Roads near West Lucas Street and Mandeville Drive were closed for hours Sunday evening.
Section: More Florence SC crime news
Filed under: Florence SC Public Safety News
