Deputy kills Hartsville man; SLED investigating incident
The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the fatal shooting of a suspect by a Darlington County sheriff’s deputy on Friday, authorities said.
Ronnie Dewayne James, 65, of Hartsville, was killed in the incident, according to SLED. The agency said he was armed. It was not immediately clear what led to the confrontation.
Officials said the incident took place about 7:30 a.m. Friday at a home in the 1900 block of East Old Camden Road.
“I know I keep saying this, we just have to do some hard praying,” Darlington County Sheriff James Hudson told local news media. “Because it is just too much that is going on.”
In an officer-involved shooting, it’s routine for SLED to be asked to investigate to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
This is the second time in three months that a county sheriff’s deputy has fatally shot a suspect.
In April, deputies killed Kenneth Brian Turner, 37, of Darlington in a confrontation off McIver Road. In that incident, deputies traced a stolen motorcycle to Turner, but when they approached him, he pulled a sawed-off shotgun from a bag and refused to drop the weapon. After he pointed the gun at deputies, they fired on him.
Fourth Circuit Solicitor Will Rogers decided that the deputies would not be charged because there was “insufficient evidence” for a criminal prosecution.
The incident Friday in Darlington County was the 20th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2022.
–Bobby Bryant
