House fire may have been set to cover up scene of double homicide, SC sheriff says
A fire that tore through a South Carolina home may have been used to cover up the scene of a double homicide, officials said.
Deputies tracked down a “person of interest” in the case and fired their weapons, killing him Wednesday, Jan. 17, according to the Greenville and Spartanburg County sheriff’s offices.
The shooting was reported at about 7 p.m., hours after firefighters responded to a burning house in Greenville. Two bodies were found inside, sparking a search for clues, officials said.
The Greenville County Coroner’s Office in a news release didn’t identify the two people or share a cause or manner of death for them.
But Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said those who died were women whose bodies showed signs of trauma. He believes the fire was started in an attempt to hide a homicide scene, according to WHNS and WYFF.
Greenville County deputies identified a “person of interest” and found him in Landrum, in neighboring Spartanburg County.
“After several call outs were unsuccessful, the person of interest exited the residence brandishing a firearm, and an officer-involved shooting occurred,” the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.
Both sheriff’s offices reported that at least one of their deputies fired a gun. The man died, and an autopsy was scheduled for Jan. 18.
“I am unable to identify the decedent in this case as I have not been able to make legal identification or notify family,” the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office wrote in a news release. “I can inform you that there are no injured law enforcement officers in this incident.”
The S.C. Law Enforcement Division reportedly has been asked to investigate the shooting. The house fire also was under investigation as of Jan. 18, deputies told McClatchy News in an email.
The Greenville County coroner’s and sheriff’s offices didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Jan. 18.
This story was originally published January 18, 2024 at 1:59 PM with the headline "House fire may have been set to cover up scene of double homicide, SC sheriff says."
