Why deputies say they had to shoot suspect in Aiken County
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has released new details on Monday about an officer-involved shooting near an Aiken County school last week.
On July 25, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division says when deputies responded to Columbia Highway and Beaver Dam Road and encountered the man, there was a physical altercation.
During the altercation, SLED says deputies deployed stun-guns first, but they were not effective. As the altercation continued, deputies shot the man, according to SLED officials.
The man was transported to the hospital for treatment and remains hospitalized as of Monday morning, authorities say.
No deputies were shot, though one was treated for injuries at the hospital, SLED states.
The incident put nearby J.D. Lever Elementary School on lockdown, but no children were endangered or hurt, according to deputies.
Deputies responded just after 2 p.m. after a business reported a suspicious person acting erratically.
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Deputies said they arrived and confronted the white man near the driveway of the school.
He stripped off his clothes and actively fought with the deputies, authorities said. In the confrontation, he was shot and a deputy was injured.
Both the deputy and the suspect were taken to a hospital, with the deputy taken by patrol car. The deputy was stable and was not injured by a gunshot.
Deputies say the suspect was transported by Aiken County emergency medical crews in critical condition.
The school remained under lockdown as of 4 p.m., but parents were allowed to pick up their kids in a “controlled release,” deputies said. The students were all ed for, deputies said.
We spoke with a classroom aide who was inside the school when it happened.
“We go through these drills every year and are prepared for this, but we haven’t gone through any drills yet with them,” said Pam Fulmer, a pre-K classroom aide.
Fulmer says it was a moment she never saw coming for her classroom of preschoolers.
“We got our kids in a little kitchen area, and, and turn our lights off and head with them. Between our cabinets. Nineteen little 4-year-olds, their second day of school,” she said.
At least a dozen marked and unmarked Aiken County Sheriff’s Office vehicles were still at the scene around 4:15 p.m., and traffic was moving – but not quickly. By 5:30, crime scene tape was coming down, but the scene was still full of officers.
Deputies said they hadn’t had any known interaction with the suspect in the past.
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office was the initial responding agency, but the Aiken Department of Public Safety and other agencies assisted.
According to the SLED, the investigation is ongoing and there is no other information at this time.
This incident was the 28th officer involved shooting in South Carolina in 2024, SLED confirms. In 2023, the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office had three officer involved shootings.
How the school responded
The incident was one of the first since Aiken County Public Schools adopted a new security protocol.
And by all s, it worked well.
“J.D. Lever’s teachers, staff, and students did a wonderful job in following these procedures,” the district said in a statement.
As part of the protocol, the district has changed the language used to respond to school emergencies.
It has five action plans to respond to emergencies:
- Hold
- Secure
- Lockdown
- Evacuate
The Aiken County school district said when s first learned of the incident nearby, they elevated their security protocols. At the recommendation of law enforcement, school s shifted their security stance to “secure,” as outlined by the district’s protocol.
As the situation outside escalated, s enhanced protocols further to a “lockdown,” also detailed in the protocol. During a “lockdown,” not only are doors locked, students and staff move out of sight of doors and windows, turn off the lights, and remain as quiet as possible.
Parents and guardians were notified of the enhanced security procedures and advised to exit the campus and await further instruction regarding afternoon dismissal.
Once law enforcement confirmed it was safe to do so, school officials lifted the lockdown, communicated the lockdown was lifted to families, and worked in collaboration with law enforcement to begin afternoon dismissal. As always, the safety and security of our students, staff, and families is our highest priority.
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Fulmer and parents say they’re relieved the school took appropriate precautions to keep the kids calm and safe.
Amy Schneider, a mom, said: “They weren’t really aware of the situation. So luckily, they weren’t as scared because, you know, for them, it could have been just a drill, but definitely not knowing what was going on. And then all of the chatter back and forth kind of says, you know, trying to think what happened was definitely the scary part.”
Fulmer says it’s a reminder to her that anything can happen.
“Please pray for our schools every day. We do work under conditions that anything could happen which is anywhere you go to work, but we just want to keep the children safe so they can learn,” said Fulmer.
The incident comes just days into the school year for Aiken County, and initially raised concerns that the kids might be in danger.
It also happened while some law enforcement agencies in the area were conducting active-shooter drills.
However, as many in the community learned, this was not a drill.
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