by WILL FOLKS
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An officer-involved shooting at a Midlands, South Carolina gun show left a deputy with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) wounded – and resulted in the death of the suspect.
According to a statement issued Saturday afternoon (November 14, 2026) in response to the incident by LCSD, one of its deputies was providing security at a gun show at the Jamil Shrine Temple – a multi-purpose event venue located six miles northwest of downtown Columbia, S.C.
Per the agency, “a patron at (the) event shot a Lexington County deputy who was working security.”
“The deputy returned fire, fatally striking the suspect,” the statement added. “The deputy was taken to the hospital. He in surgery and in stable condition, according to his medical team.”
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Neither the identity of the wounded officer – nor the suspect shot and killed – were immediately released. LCSD also provided no indication as to what precipitated the incident. The agency did confirm there was “no ongoing threat to the public” in connection with the shooting, however.
In keeping with standard protocol in the vast majority of local law enforcement jurisdictions in the Palmetto State, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was requested to investigate the shooting by LCSD.
“The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred today in Lexington County,” agency public information director Renée Wunderlich confirmed. “More information will be available in an upcoming news release from SLED.”
Per the agency, its goal is to conduct a thorough, independent criminal investigation in as timely a manner as is possible under the circumstances – interviewing all potential witnesses, collecting relevant evidence and forensically testing such evidence as needed. Information gathered during the course of the investigation will be summarized in a case file report submitted to prosecutors.
The shooting shut down Jamil Road – a frontage thoroughfare that runs parallel to Interstate 26 between St. Andrews Road and Piney Grove Road. It also caused significant congestion in both eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 26 as passing motorists rubbernecked at the massive police presence.
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This is a developing story…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
I hope the Deputy will make a full recovery. I haven’t been to a gun show in over twenty years. I understand that “for sale” guns need to be checked to ensure they are unloaded and zip-tied so as to not be readily useable, for safety. That these events are routinely posted against concealed carry of a gun that will not leave its holster unless a critical incident occurs; worse than you would expect at a Brady or Giffords anti-2A convention, lost my interest and patronage, long ago.