Suspect shot and killed by Newberry sheriff’s deputy after attempted home invasion
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating a fatal shooting by a Newberry County sheriff’s deputy.
The shooting took place around 9 p.m. Thursday when the deputy was responding to a 911 call of an individual firing a weapon and attempting to break into a home near Whitmire, according to a statement released by the sheriff’s office.
The Newberry County Coroner identified the man killed as David Michael Kitchens, 35.
“This is an unfortunate incident and we regret loss of life, however, Deputies must protect themselves from harm,” Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said in a statement.
Deputies say that at 9:18 p.m., a 911 call was made by a resident of Little Egypt Road, saying that an individual was in their yard “beating on their home and firing a weapon.”
With 911 on the line, the caller said the individual was on the back porch trying to break open a door. The man then shot into the house, according a statement from the sheriff’s office. At some point before deputies arrived, the intruder, whose name was reportedly known to the caller but was not specified in the statement, fled to his nearby home.
A speeding citation from 2008 lists Kitchens’ home address as 54 Kitchens Drive, Whitmire, which is just off of Little Egypt Road.
When a deputy approached Kitchens’ house, Kitchens was standing in the doorway with a rifle, according to the statement. The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said the deputy told Kitchens to drop the firearm, but Kitchens “pointed the weapon at the Deputy.”
The deputy, whose name has not been released, then shot Kitchens. In the statement, the sheriff’s office said the deputy called for medical assistance and immediately began performing life saving measures.
When Whitmire Rescue Squad and Newberry County EMS arrived, they determined there were no vital signs, according to the sheriff’s office.
The deputy, who was not injured, was placed on administrative leave per office policy. Foster said he immediately requested SLED investigate the shooting, which is also office policy.
