Greenville County Sheriff’s deputies say an armed robbery suspect was shot and killed during a struggle with officers Friday.
Deputies said they responded to a Dollar General store west of Campobello in the Gowensville community around 10 a.m. Employees told the officers that the man had shown a gun and demanded money. The suspect fled when deputies arrived after a few minutes. Deputies said they lost the man in nearby woods after a short chase.
The Sheriff’s Office then searched for the suspect for two hours before a resident spotted a man that matched their description of the suspect. A spokesman said a K-9 and its handler spotted the man running through the woods and chased after him. The handler caught up with the suspect and said the other man began to struggle against him and the dog.
The spokesman said the handler yelled to other members of the search team that the suspect had a gun. One of the other team members fired as the fight continued, hitting the suspect.
The suspect was pronounced dead at scene. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office had not released his name as of Friday evening.
State Law Enforcement Division agents are investigating the incident, as they do for most officer-involved shootings in South Carolina.