A South Carolina deputy delivering a warrant and the person reportedly slated to receive the warrant were killed Tuesday when gunfire was exchanged at a Sumter County home.
Sumter County Sheriff's Cpl. Andrew Gillette was fatally shot while delivering a detention order and eviction notice to the suspect, who shot the officer in the chest multiple times, according to a report by The Item. The 37-year-old deputy returned fire, and the suspect was killed at the home in the 3000 block of Thomas Sumter Highway in Dalzell, an area near the Shaw Air Force Base.
Sheriff Anthony Dennis said at a news conference Tuesday that Gillette died shortly before noon at the Prisma Healthy Tuomey Hospital. He as wearing a vest at the time of serving the warrant, Dennis confirmed. The deputy had been with the sheriff’s office since 2013, and in 2018, Gillette was named employee of the month and promoted to corporal.
"We didn't just lose a deputy today. We lost a family member," Dennis said during the conference.
The deputy was a retired U.S. Air Force officer for more than 12 years, and was last assigned to the Shaw Air Force Base. He was a husband and father to an 11-year-old son.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association announced that a memorial fund has been set up in Gillette’s honor, which will support his family and any uncovered funeral costs.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association sends prayers to the family, friends, and fellow deputies of Cpl. Andrew Gillette of the Sumter County Sheriffs Office who was killed in the line of duty this morning.
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