After shooting at his son and threatening deputies, Midlands man is killed, cops say
An investigation is underway after a law enforcement officer fatally shot a Midlands man Wednesday while attempting to serve an arrest warrant, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said.
John “Hayden” Inabinet, III, was killed after he shot at his son and threatened to open fire on any law enforcement officers who tried to approached his home and tried to arrest him, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
No deputies were hurt and no other injuries were reported, according to SLED.
At about 11 a.m., deputies responded to a shots fired call at 1488 Burke Road, the sheriff’s office said. That’s in St. Matthews, near U.S. 21/Columbia Road, and Exit 125 on Interstate 26.
When they arrived, deputies said they met a man who said his father, Inabinet, fired several rounds at him when the son attempted to enter his property to retrieve some personal belongings.
Deputies were told by members of Inabinet’s family and others that he had made several comments indicating he was heavily armed and would not surrender to law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said. Additionally, Inabinet said if anyone came on his property, he would shoot them.
Sheriff Thomas Summers contacted Inabinet, whom the sheriff said he has known for many years, and implored him to surrender peacefully.
Inabinet said he would not surrender, adding that any deputy who came to arrest him would be shot, according to the sheriff’s office.
After negotiations with Inabinet failed, deputies got an arrest warrant charging him with attempted murder, the sheriff’s office said.
K-9 Deputies were called to the scene, approached the residence and saw Inabinet sitting on the front porch. He pointed a semi-automatic pistol at them, the sheriff’s office said.
One deputy fired and hit Inabinet, who was taken to Orangeburg Regional Medical Center, where he died, according to the sheriff’s office.
Several rifles and handguns positioned at numerous locations and in the crawl space were found during a search of the residence, the sheriff’s office said.
“This is a very tragic situation for everyone involved,” Summers said in a news release. “We did our best to get Mr. Inabinet to surrender peacefully, but it is obvious — based on our conversations and the findings at the scene — he had plans to commit violence.”
The deputy who shot and killed Inabinet did so as a last resort to save himself and the other deputies present, according to Summers.
The deputy, a 20-year veteran of law enforcement, was placed on administrative leave, the sheriff’s office said. That’s standard protocol until SLED completes its investigation, which was requested by the sheriff’s office.
“I am extremely proud of the professionalism my deputies exhibited during this difficult situation,” Summers said.
The shooting is the first involving the sheriff’s office in the past two years, according to SLED.
This is the 22nd shooting involving a law enforcement in South Carolina this year, and 49 were reported in 2020, according to SLED.
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This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 2:09 PM with the headline "After shooting at his son and threatening deputies, Midlands man is killed, cops say."
