Oconee County SC Deputy shot; in critical condition

An Oconee County SC Deputy is in critical condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital after being shot yesterday by a suspect who fled after a traffic stop near Fairplay, SC.

According to information gathered by WNEG sister stations WSNW in Seneca and WGOG in Walhalla, Oconee County SC Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop yesterday afternoon on S. Highway 11 at Mt. Pleasant Road. During the course of the traffic stop, the driver of the white Chevrolet Silverado drove away, leading deputies on a pursuit.

According to Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw, , the driver of the pickup made his way down to the area of Black Bass Road at Shelor Ferry Road where shots were fired. A Deputy was hit by the gunfire and the driver of the pickup drove away. 

While first responders and medical emergency teams responded to airlift the deputy to Greenville Memorial Hospital, law enforcement officers from several agencies continued to track the suspect, who was later located on Black Bass Road and was shot by Deputies during the course of his arrest, according to Crenshaw.  The suspect was also transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital.

According to a social media report at approximately 9 p.m. last night, the deputy was out of surgery, but in critical condition. No report on the condition of the suspect has been released, other than that he also was out of surgery. 

Neither the Deputy’s, nor the suspect’s identity have been released.

Under normal South Carolina protocol, an officer-involved shooting would be investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED. However, Crenshaw reported that the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office will be the lead investigative agency into the incident at his request as well as at the request of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. 

WNEG News will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as they become available.