Charlotte gunman shot by Lancaster deputies tried to kill officers, investigators say
A Charlotte man shot by Lancaster County deputies after opening fire on police is charged with trying to kill four officers, officials said.
Joshua James Hendricks, 33, is charged by South Carolina state agents with four counts of attempted murder after shooting at the deputies who were trying to arrest him, said State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Tommy Crosby.
Hendricks is also charged by Lancaster County deputies with kidnapping, domestic violence, felony child neglect, and three counts of pointing and presenting a firearm, according to police and court records.
SLED is investigating the shooting because the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot Hendricks after he fired on them, Lancaster County Sheriff Barry Faile said.
Hendricks was served arrest warrants after his release from a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, deputies said.
No deputies were wounded in the gunfire, police said.
Deputies were at the home on Eagles Nest Lane in Indian Land, southeast of Fort Mill near the York County line, because Hendricks attacked his estranged girlfriend where she lives with her son and mother, Faile said. The area is south of the North Carolina state line.
After Hendricks attacked the girlfriend, he was locked out, Faile said. Hendricks then fired shots through the townhouse door, Faile said.
The victim, child and victim’s mother escaped before deputies went in the house to take Hendricks into custody, Faile said. Inside the home, Hendricks fired on the deputies who returned gunfire, Faile said.
Hendricks faces as much as 170 years in prison if convicted of the charges against him under South Carolina law.
Hendricks remains at the Lancaster County jail after he was denied bail in court Sunday.
Lancaster County Public Defender Mike Lifsey said his office will determine Tuesday if Hendricks will possibly be represented by the public defender’s office in Lancaster County.
The shooting involving an estranged domestic partner is the second in a week in York and Chester counties. On Jan. 17, Christopher Taylor of Rock Hill shot and killed his estranged spouse, Julie Taylor, at her York County home, police say.
Christopher Taylor was barred from his wife’s residence by a York County Family Court judge’s order signed two days before the killing.
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 2:14 PM.
