S.C. Campus Police-Involved Shooting Under Investigation
Authorities say the Spartanburg Methodist College police officer who fatally shot a suspect was acting in self-defense.
Authorities have begun investigating a shooting involving a South Carolina campus police officer that left one dead Nov. 9.
The shooting occurred off the Spartanburg Methodist College campus around 8:45 p.m. after campus police responded to a report of a car break-in, according to foxcarolina.com.
The campus police officers encountered two male suspects, who fled the scene despite the officer’s verbal warnings. One suspect reportedly got into a vehicle and struck an officer with the car, at which point the officer shot at the vehicle. The suspect driving the vehicle was killed.
The identity of the fallen suspect has not been released. Key details of the event, such as the number of shots and the direction of the shots fired, have not yet been revealed by investigators.
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Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Kevin Bobo said the officer who fired his weapon feared for his life and was defending himself when he shot at the vehicle.
The other suspect, 20-year-old Oliver Chandler, fled on foot, was arrested on campus and charged with petty larceny and carbreaking. Chandler is a student at Limestone College.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are conducting the investigation.
The college was locked down minutes after the shooting and students were asked to stay in their residence halls until 12:15 a.m. Classes continued on their normal schedule Nov. 10.
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