A tense standoff in Richland County, South Carolina, ended tragically on Monday with deputies fatally shooting a man who repeatedly fired at them. The incident began around 9 a.m. when a utility worker, arriving at the man's property for scheduled work, was forced to leave at gunpoint. Following a 911 call from the worker, two deputies were dispatched to the residence near the Columbia Mall. Upon arrival, they were immediately met with gunfire from the suspect. He then barricaded himself inside the house, emerging intermittently with his weapon and refusing all attempts at communication from negotiators via phone and loudspeaker.

Approximately an hour into the standoff, the man emerged again, firing at the deputies. Five or six deputies returned fire, wounding the man who later died at a hospital. No deputies were injured during the incident. Authorities have confirmed prior encounters with the deceased, describing previous calls involving him as "aggressive in nature." The man's identity has not yet been publicly released. The Richland County Sheriff's Department, unlike many other South Carolina law enforcement agencies who typically defer to state police, is conducting the investigation into the shooting.