Distressing Incident at Easley Wal-Mart

On Sunday night, a frightening incident unfolded at the Walmart in Easley when an armed suspect caused a disturbance, as reported by the police.

The Easley Police Department was alerted around 7 p.m. about the situation at the Walmart located on Rolling Hills Circle. Upon their arrival, the officers encountered a suspect armed with a hatchet. Despite their attempts to de-escalate the situation, it escalated to the point where at least one officer had to discharge their duty weapon. Tragically, the incident resulted in the death of Shawn Elrod, a 33-year-old man from Easley.

The scene was quickly secured by the police following the incident. Currently, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has taken over the investigation.

The incident in Pickens County was the 14th officer involved shooting in South Carolina in 2024. This is the 1st officer involved shooting for the Easley Police Department this year. In 2023, there were 43 officer involved shootings in South Carolina. The Easley Police Department had no officer involved shootings last year.