South Carolina shooting: six police officers injured, one killed

Seven police officers were shot, one fatally, on Wednesday afternoon in a residential neighbourhood in South Carolina, according to reports.

Florence County Sheriff’s deputies were executing a search warrant on a house in the area when a man opened fire, CNN reports. He then “barricaded himself in the home with children” during an ensuing two-hour stand-off.

Three county sheriff’s office deputies and four city officers were shot after reinforcements were called to the scene, Chief Deputy Glen Kirby told reporters.

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One officer was killed, and the other officers’ conditions remains unclear, the BBC reports. Police said all the children were now safe.

The suspect was taken into custody after surrendering to police, said Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone.

“These officers went there unknowing the firepower this suspect had. They thought it was a random search warrant,” Boone told a press conference. “Fire was being shot all over. The way the suspect was positioned, his view of fire was several hundred yards. So, he had an advantage.”

The police officer who died was identified as Terrence Carraway. City of Florence spokesman John Wukela said that Carraway, 52, had recently received an award commemorating his 30 years of public service, CNN reports.

City police Chief Allen Heidler described his fallen colleague as “the bravest police officer that I have ever known”.

“Today will mark a very horrific day in the annals of the Florence Police Department,” Heidler said. “Today, we lost a good friend of mine, an officer that I’ve known for 30 years.”

President Donald Trump tweeted that his “thoughts and prayers are with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office and the Florence Police Department”.