Deputy and two employees shot near South Carolina park, officials say
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WYFF) - A deputy and two Spartanburg Water employees were shot Thursday in a shooting that had law enforcement officers as far as Greenville County responding to the scene, according to officials.
Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger confirmed at 6:20 p.m. that he was called to the scene of the shooting near Cleveland Park.
Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, along with Spartanburg Police Department Maj. Art Littlejohn, and Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis held a 5:30 p.m. news conference.
Wright said he did not know what triggered the shooting that was reported about 2:30 p.m.
Wright said deputies surrounded a home where the suspect was barricaded inside, but he did not have details yet from that situation.
Wright said the deputy was shot in the arm and is going to be OK.
“It’s a terrible thing when you get the call that a deputy’s been shot,” Wright said.
Littlejohn said the initial call came in as two people shot and their injuries were non-life-threatening.
Jennifer Candler, communications director for Spartanburg Water, said earlier she did not know the extent of the injuries of the water employees.
Candler said a team was working on a sewer main repair and a man walked up and asked them what they were doing.
Candler said the man then started shooting.
Wright did not release any details about what happened after the initial shooting but said that his deputies were nearby getting ready for another SWAT hit when the call about the shootings and a deputy shot came in.
Greenville County deputies responded to the scene to assist and Lewis said the county’s homicide investigators were at the scene beginning their work.
Since the incident involved both Spartanburg city and county officers, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office would be conducting the investigation, following protocol of the State Law Enforcement Division. SLED was also involved in the investigation.
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