LEXINGTON COUNTY — A Columbia man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to shooting two deputies during a 2020 domestic violence incident.
Albertus David Lewis, 33, entered a guilty plea March 30 to two counts of attempted murder in Lexington County. Circuit Court Judge Debra R. McCaslin accepted a negotiated sentence of 30 years. Under South Carolina law, attempted murder is classified as a violent, most serious offense and is not eligible for parole.
Eleventh Circuit Solicitor Rick Hubbard emphasized the importance of protecting law enforcement officers. “Like all of us, our law enforcement partners hope to return home safely each day. We owe it to them to rigorously prosecute any individual who threatens their physical safety,” Hubbard said.
Jay Koon, sheriff of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, reflected on the incident during the sentencing hearing and praised the outcome. “This outcome is a clear example of justice served for this act of violence against our deputies,” Koon said following the hearing.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Solicitor Sutania A. Fuller, with the investigation conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
According to authorities, the incident occurred Aug. 9, 2020, when deputies responded to a domestic violence call involving Lewis. The caller reported that Lewis was armed, threatening to kill her, and preventing her from leaving with their child.
When deputies arrived, Lewis barricaded himself inside the residence and attempted to start a fire. He was later seen holding his 4-year-old daughter while igniting clothing and throwing burning items outside. After exiting the residence using the child as a shield, Lewis resisted arrest and opened fire on deputies, striking two officers.
One deputy was shot in the chest and leg, with a ballistic vest stopping a potentially fatal injury, while another was struck in the arm. Authorities said Lewis continued to resist arrest even after being shot, biting two officers during the struggle.
Lewis has a prior criminal record that includes burglaries, property crimes, and drug offenses. At the time of the incident, he was out on bond in connection with a separate fatal shooting in Richland County. He later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in that case, with the sentence to run concurrently with the Lexington County term.