Lexington County man who abducted, shot woman and killed himself named by coroner
A Lexington woman was abducted Wednesday morning, taken to a wooded area and shot several times, but still managed to escape with her life, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
Despite suffering “multiple” gunshot wounds, the woman was able to get away from the man who kidnapped her and run to a nearby home for help, a sheriff’s department release said.
At about 10 a.m., after shooting the victim, the man turned the gun on himself, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said Thursday.
Raymond Antonio Metze was identified as the gunman, according to Fisher. The 28-year-old Leesville man was still alive when authorities found him, and he was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.
The victim is “expected to make a full recovery,” Fisher said. Further information on her condition was not available.
Metze abducted the woman from a medical office in Lexington before forcing her to drive to some woods, according to the sheriff’s department.
It’s not clear what led to the violent incident, but the sheriff’s department said the victim and suspect knew each other.
“Although we’re still looking into the nature of their relationship in recent weeks, we know they have been a couple in the past and have a child together,” Sheriff Jay Koon said in the release. “This was not a random crime.”
The shooting happened at the end of Adams Terrace Court in Dixiana, according to Fisher. That’s about 2 miles from the intersection of U.S. 321 and Charleston Highway in the West Columbia area.
Over the years, South Carolina has repeatedly ranked as one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to domestic violence, McClatchy News has previously reported.
