In South Carolina, a gunfight turned violent during a suspect search, leaving a police K-9 dead and a law enforcement officer injured.
A tumultuous standoff with a suspect wanted in the shooting of a McBee Police Department officer on Thursday night culminated in the death of K-9 Mikka on Friday afternoon in Lee County.
According to the Horry County Police Department, agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrived in Lee County as part of a multi-agency hunt for Altson Modlin, 27, who was described as armed and dangerous.
According to McBee Police Chief Tim Knight, Molidin shot the officer “more than 60 times.” according to WPDE.
After the shooting in Chesterfield County, authorities said, a deadly gunfight broke out after Modlin was found after a search spanning several counties.
News19 reported that Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon stated that police encountered live fire from Modlin using an assault-style rifle while they were pursuing his vehicle.
Simon verified that a bullet fired at the officers during the standoff slightly injured one of his deputies. Simon reported that after being hit by gunshots, a patrol car caught fire.
“Shots that actually hit the vehicle. The vehicle ignited and caught fire, and, you know, she obviously couldn’t get out of the vehicle,” Simon stated. “The officers couldn’t get to the vehicle to open the door, because they, like I said, they were under duress. They couldn’t get to the vehicle.”
“We are a smaller agency, and we have to wear several different hats here. We are greatly saddened by the loss of K-9 Mikka, who was as much a member of our team as my Chief Deputy who was injured,” Simon stated.
Unfortunately, Simon said, the bullets were so loud that the cop was unable to reach K-9 Mikka inside the car, and the dog perished in the fire.
According to the authorities, ten agencies and around 200 law enforcement officers were present in Lee County to help resolve the situation.
“This is a senseless, cowardly act that actually took place today. And you know, I’m getting to the point I’m fed up with this. This is my eighth officer involved shooting since I’ve been here, since 2010. This is too much,” Simon stated.
Read Also:Â Mass Shooting in Birmingham: 4 Dead, 17 Injured as Manhunt Begins
Simon continued by saying that his group is appreciative of the community’s and other law enforcement officers’ support:
“I want to thank Horry County for taking the lead in investigating this incident, and all of our partners for their support and assistance, including South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (DNR), my Sheriff’s Office and Police Department counterparts across the state and region, and the ATF. There’s been so much community support from near and far, and each person and agency that has reached out to check on us and offered their prayers is appreciated.”
Modlin’s death has been confirmed by the Lee County Coroner’s Office, and an autopsy is scheduled for this Tuesday.
According to the Horry County Police Department, the investigation into the incident in Lee County is still ongoing, and it will be carried out on request from the relevant agencies.
