McCormick County deputy released from hospital after shooting

McCORMICK, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A McCormick County deputy involved in an officer-involved shooting that left a suspect dead has been released from the hospital, according to authorities.

Investigators say McCormick County deputies responded to 911 calls of a suspicious person around Greenfield Road and Mears Lane. The sheriff’s agency said the calls came in at 7:40 a.m., June 18.

Once deputies arrived, the suspect opened fire at Sgt. Robbie Coker, who shot back.

Sgt. Coker and the suspect were both shot.

The suspect, later identified as Obed Barba, 20, died at the scene. Coker was taken to a hospital.

Agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are investigating the shooting.

SLED conducts law enforcement officer-involved shooting investigations at the request of the agency involved in the incident or the agency with jurisdiction. SLED says its goal “is to conduct a thorough, independent criminal investigation as timely as is possible under the circumstances.”

The incident in McCormick County was the 17th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2023. This is the first officer-involved shooting for the McCormick County Sheriff’s Office this year.

In 2022, there were 32 officer-involved shootings in South Carolina. The McCormick County Sheriff’s Office had no officer-involved shootings last year.