SC sheriff’s deputy is fatally shot serving eviction notice
Posted Feb 25, 2020 04:19:47 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SUMTER, S.C. — A sheriff’s deputy in South Carolina was shot and killed while trying to serve an eviction notice Tuesday morning, authorities said.
Sumter County Sheriff’s Cpl. Andrew Gillette was shot in the chest by the man who was being evicted and died a short time later, Sheriff Anthony Dennis said.
Gillette was wearing a protective vest, Dennis said.
The man inside the home was also killed. His identity has not been released and the sheriff gave few additional details.
“We lost a family member today. We lost a brother,” Dennis said at a news conference.
Gillette, 37, was part of a sheriff’s office team that serves civil papers such as eviction notices. He had been a Sumter County deputy since 2013 and leaves behind a wife and child, Dennis said.
Gillette was an Air Force veteran and has many relatives in law enforcement, officials said.
“He loved law enforcement. He loved the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office,” Dennis said.
The shooting happened on U.S. Highway 521, once of the busiest highways in Sumter County, about 40 miles (64 kilometres) east of Columbia.
A Florence Regional Airport officer was shot to death in January during a traffic stop.
The Associated Press
