TERRA DA INDIA, SC
One person died and two others were injured Friday night in a shooting in Lancaster County, near the North Carolina state line with Charlotte, officials said.
A man with a gun shot two men and then appears to have shot himself outside the Kushi World Bazaar store on SC 160 near US 521, said Barry Faile, Lancaster County sheriff. The reason for the shootings remains unclear, Faile said.
“Although we have good control over what happened, we don’t know why it happened,” said Faile on Friday night.
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The man believed to be the sniper was not identified by the Lancaster County coroner or sheriff’s deputies.
Lancaster County coroner Karla Knight-Deese confirmed that there was a fatal shooting, but said her office was still investigating.
The injuries of the two other victims do not appear to be life-threatening, officials said.
The area is in the Lancaster Swamp, South Carolina, near the border of the state of North Carolina with the Ballantyne area of Charlotte and east of Fort Mill in York County.
The first police officers arrived before 8 pm and found the two victims in the parking lot of a Lowe’s building supply store on SC 160 at the shooting site, police said. The victims told police officers that they crossed the road to safety after being shot, according to authorities.
One man was shot in the face and the other in the shoulder, said Doug Barfield, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The victims told police they were at the bazaar store when they and others tried to help the sniper with a damaged vehicle, Barfield said. The sniper then opened fire, wounding the two victims, deputies said.
The sniper was found shot dead near his truck with the gun beside him, Barfield said.
The incident occurred near a busy commercial area, said Lancaster County Emergency Management Director, Darren Player. There are convenience stores adjacent to the shooting location and Lowe’s. Police, firefighters from Pleasant Valley and Indian Land stations, Lancaster County EMS doctors and others responded.
The fatal shooting is the second in Lancaster County in 2021.
Check back for updates on this developing story.