Suspect killed in officer involved shooting after chase on I-26 in Newberry
FILE
NEWBERRY CO., S.C. (WOLO) – Newberry County deputies say a suspect is dead in an officer involved shooting after a chase on Sunday.
Authorities say the suspect carjacked a victim on I-26 East near mile marker 60 and started a chase with law enforcement.
According to investigators, the suspect intentionally hit a deputy’s vehicle, driving him into a guardrail.
Deputies say the suspect was later fatally shot by officers at mile marker 91 & the deputies involved were not injured.
The State Department of Transportation says mile markers 82 to 91 have been reopened.
Monday morning, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher identified the man fatally shot as 40-year-old Phillip John Walden, of Taylors. The coroner says he died as the result of multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body.
Monday afternoon, the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office provided updated information on the incident. According to deputies, the incident started as an attempted carjacking in Laurens County, when the suspect attempted to carjack two vehicles which had pulled off to assist him. The suspect was reportedly able to successfully carjack a third vehicle, and he drove it along I-26 East. The sheriff’s office says it received calls of an armed man with items ranging from scissors to a knife to a gun. Deputies say they attempted a traffic stop, but were led on a high speed chase in which the suspect’s vehicle struck several other vehicles. Investigators say a deputy’s vehicle was intentionally struck by the suspect, forcing it into a guard rail.
According to investigators, the chase left I-26 at mile marker 91 and continued into a Taco Bell parking lot where more vehicles were struck. Authorities say the suspect then headed back to the East bound exit in the wrong direction before ramming into a deputy’s vehicle that attempted to block him. Officials say the suspect’s vehicle became disabled when it hit a Jersey barrier, and the suspect ignored commands when he exited the vehicle. Authorities say the man moved his hand to the rear of his waist and a deputy shot him.
“This was an incredibly dangerous incident from start to finish,” according to Sheriff Lee Foster. “It was very obvious that he had no regard for human life and the law,” said Sheriff Foster. “Had they not stopped him, he was destined to harm someone more seriously than he did.”
The incident remains under investigation by law enforcement.
