SC boy, 6, dies after Sunday shooting; suspect killed in shootout with Lancaster deputies
A 6-year-old boy who was shot and injured by a man in Lancaster County — a man who then died after a shootout with deputies — died on Monday, according to authorities.
The boy and his mother were shot inside a house on Mostellar Drive.
Jacob Tyler Sobieraj, 24, died at the scene outside the home around 12:30 p.m., according to written statements from the State Law Enforcement Division and Lancaster County Coroner Karla Knight Deese.
The boy’s mother, 44, remained hospitalized late Monday, coroner officials said. Neither she nor her son were identified by authorities.
It remains unclear what the motive was for the shootings in the house or what relationship, if any, there was between Sobieraj and the woman and child.
No deputies were hurt, sheriff’s office spokesman Doug Barfield told The Herald on Monday. Barfield referred other questions to SLED because deputies were involved in the shooting.
Sheriff and SLED: Sobieraj was armed
The man called 911 to say he had killed a woman and her child inside the house, Sheriff Barry Faile and SLED said in written statements. The area of the shooting is east of the city of Lancaster, south of the state line with Union County, North Carolina.
Both Faile and SLED said Monday that Sobieraj was armed with a handgun when deputies arrived, and shots were exchanged between him and officers.
The sheriff’s office and SLED have not identified the deputies or said how many fired weapons.
What happens now?
SLED said the investigation, including interviewing participants and witnesses and collecting other evidence, remains ongoing.
When SLED finishes, a case file will be sent to prosecutors with the 6th Circuit Solicitor’s Office or the S.C. Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors decide if any charges will be filed.
The fatal shooting is the first this year involving police in Lancaster County, and the seventh in South Carolina.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 10:37 AM.
