A West Columbia man died after a standoff with Lexington County deputies who were trying to arrest him Wednesday morning.
The man, identified as 29-year-old Shavon Marquise Wright by Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher, was wanted on two counts of pointing and presenting a firearm at a person, according to arrest warrants.
“Today’s events can be traced back to an investigation that started June 8 when we received a complaint about Wright pointing a gun at some neighbors,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “Neighbors tell us he could often be seen carrying a long gun around his yard and out to his mailbox, something that’s unusual in the residential area where Wright lived in West Columbia.”
Deputies obtained two warrants for Wright’s arrest and were trying to arrest him unarmed and away from his home on Montclaire Circle, according to Koon.
“Since he did not afford us that opportunity in a timely manner, we deployed a tactical team to Wright’s home to arrest him,” Koon said. “After we engaged him verbally, it became apparent he was not coming out.”
Wright fired shots from his home, which prompted deputies to use a tactical robot and drone as part of their response, according to Koon.
“After we surrounded his home, Wright opened his front door and shot at our robot and pointed a gun at our officers,” Koon said. “We returned fire with a round that struck him in the jaw.”
Deputies continued to negotiate with Wright and he fired multiple rounds, according to Koon. The tactical robot and its camera provided deputies with a look inside Wright’s home and information on his well-being as negotiations continued.
“He eventually barricaded himself inside a bathroom and we lost contact with him for hours,” Koon said. “The tactical robot later provided us with a view of Wright as he appeared to be incapacitated. We then went in and confirmed that.”
EMS responded to check Wright’s condition. Coroner Fisher pronounced him dead a short time later.
“I have requested agents with the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate the officer-involved shooting part of our response,” Koon said. “This is our standard procedure to ensure a thorough and impartial review of the sequence of events.”
Wright posted threats to law enforcement and the public on social media this month, according to Koon.
“There was a mental health component to the initial response this morning with counselors making contact with Wright,” Koon said. “Overall, this was just an unfortunate situation.”