NEW ELLENTON, S.C. — A man is in custody after a police pursuit in an Aiken County town on Thursday afternoon ultimately ended with an officer firing a gun.
According to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and warrants filed by the agency, the incident began when a New Ellenton Police officer attempted to stop a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria near the intersection of Cypress Boulevard and Eagle Road for a traffic violation.
Warrants state that the suspect, 36-year-old Brandon Odairy Williams, instead attempted to escape and drove away until it struck a road sign at the intersection of Sizemore Avenue and South Main Street. The vehicle stopped in a yard along Main Street and, according to the warrant, Williams ran before being caught beside a nearby home.
At some point during the attempted stop and Williams' eventual apprehension, SLED said the New Ellenton officer opened fire at the suspect, who warrants say had a Glock 43 9mm handgun in his waistband. The suspect, however, was not hit by the gunfire.
SLED said that Williams was charged by the South Carolina Highway Patrol for offenses related to the crash and booked into the Aiken County Detention Center. SLED has also filed charges against Williams including failure to stop for a blue light and unlawful carry of a pistol
Shootings involving law enforcement are often investigated independently by SLED in South Carolina at the request of agency leadership. Once their investigation is complete, their findings will be turned over to prosecutors with the Second Judicial Circuit Solicitor's Office.
The shooting is the sixth in South Carolina so far in 2023 and the first in New Ellenton for the year. There were 32 in the state the previous year and none of them involved the New Ellenton Police Department.
