York SC deputy shoots suspect in Rock Hill after suspect rams officer’s car, Sheriff says
A man in what officials say was a stolen car rammed a York County deputy’s car after a police chase before the deputy shot the man Tuesday afternoon in Rock Hill, York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson said.
The deputy shot at the man three times at the conclusion of a chase that ended in a CVS parking lot, Tolson said in a video on Facebook live, and statement at an impromptu news conference near the scene.
The shooting happened in the parking lot at the corner of Cherry Road and Charlotte Avenue in Rock Hill, near the Winthrop University campus.
The man has been hospitalized but his identity and condition have not been released, Tolson said.
In the video posted by the sheriff’s office, Tolson said the man was armed with a vehicle and rammed the deputy’s cruiser while the deputy was standing outside the open door of the vehicle. The deputy was standing in the nexus of the door and the body of the police cruiser, Tolson said.
“It wasn’t the decision of the officer to shoot this man, it was his decision,” Tolson said of the person who was wounded. “The individual was armed with a vehicle.”
Started with stolen vehicle report near Fort Mill
Deputies received a call Tuesday afternoon about a stolen vehicle in the Baxter Village area near Fort Mill, Tolson said in the statement.
Deputies tried to stop the vehicle. When it did not stop, deputies chased the vehicle south on U.S. 21, then further south on Cherry Road, Tolson said.
The vehicle rammed another deputy cruiser during the pursuit, Tolson said.
No deputies were hurt, according to Tolson.
Tolson said his office notified the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate the shooting as an independent agency.
SLED spokesperson Renee Wunderlich told The Herald in a message that SLED agents responded to an officer-involved shooting, but have not released any other information.
Sheriff’s office postings on social media
Shortly after the pursuit and shooting, sheriff deputies posted on social media that there had been an incident.
“One person has been injured and taken to the hospital,” sheriff posts on Twitter and Facebook said. “This is a very active scene and early on in the investigation.”
The initial information from the sheriff’s office did not specify how the person had been injured.
Crime scene tape was up in the parking lot of a CVS at the corner of Cherry Road and Charlotte Avenue in Rock Hill.
The first statement from deputies on social media said: “Heavy police activity on Cherry Rd. Rock Hill after a pursuit of a stolen car by our Deputies. Shots were fired. No Deputies were injured.”
Winthrop issued an alert notifying students and staff about the incident, said Winthrop Police Department Chief Charles Yearta.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 5:47 PM.
