An active shooting incident has killed one law enforcement officer while leaving several others injured in the Florence County of South Carolina on Wednesday.
Authorities have confirmed that three office deputies from the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and four city officers were shot during the incident, per CNN ‘s affiliate WBTV . According to the report, at least one of the officers has been killed in the shooting.
A 20-year-old male has also been shot in the home where the incident took place. He is alive and is currently in the hospital. The condition of the injured officers is not known yet.
The Florence County Emergency Management Agency posted a ‘high priority’ message on its official Twitter account at around 5 p.m local time and warned people to steer clear of the Vintage Place and Hoffmeyer Road areas in Florence, as an “active shooting incident” was in progress at the time.
The tweet also said that the Florence Country Sheriff’s Office and the City Police Department were handling the situation.
The Sheriff’s Office posted an update an hour later to inform the public that the shooting incident was “over” and that the suspect was taken into custody, but that people should still avoid the area as they are still investigating the incident.
****Major Update**** The active shooting situation is over and the suspect is in custody. We are asking everyone to stay away from Vintage Place as there is still an active crime investigation in progress. pic.twitter.com/1OImJOjqXS
— FCEMD (@FlorenceCoEMD) October 3, 2018
Commenting on the incident, the Governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster took to Twitter and said that the news from Florence is devastating. He also honored the efforts of law enforcement officers, per WMBF News .
“The selfless acts of bravery from the men and women in law enforcement is real, just like the power of prayer is real,” he said.
He also wrote that he and his wife Peggy ask everyone to pray for the officers, their recovery, their families, and for all of Florence.
WBTV ‘s reporter, who is present at the scene, has been posting updates on the channel’s Facebook page. She said that a total of eight people have been shot during the incident.
Authorities earlier stated that five officers were shot, but at around 8 p.m., the Deputy Chief with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, Glenn Kirby confirmed that a total of eight people have been shot, and the one killed was an officer with the Florence Police Department, WBTV reported.
WBTV also tweeted that a press conference is currently taking place at the hospital where the injured have been shifted.
This is a developing story, and media outlets will keep posting updates.
