SLED investigating Officer Involved Shooting in Colleton County
Thursday, Oct 17, 2024
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, in Colleton County.
Officers with the Walterboro Police Department and deputies with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance in the parking lot near a Best Western hotel and a Ruby Tuesday restaurant off of Sniders Highway in Walterboro, SC. The Colleton County deputy encountered a man armed with a knife in the parking lot. During the encounter, the deputy shot the man. The man died at the scene. The Colleton County Coroner’s Office has identified the deceased as John Joseph Horan, V (the 5th), 32. No law enforcement officers were injured. SLED was requested to investigate by the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office.
This is an ongoing investigation. As such, no other information about the case will be disclosed by SLED at this time.
SLED conducts law enforcement officer involved shooting (OIS) investigations at the request of the agency involved in the incident or the agency with jurisdiction. When requested to investigate an OIS, SLED’s goal is to conduct a thorough, independent criminal investigation as timely as is possible under the circumstances. SLED agents will conduct interviews with all potential witnesses in this matter. Further, SLED will collect all relevant evidence and will forensically test such evidence as needed. Information gathered in the SLED investigation of the incident will be summarized in a case file report to be submitted to prosecutors.
The incident in Colleton County was the 36th officer involved shooting in South Carolina in 2024. This is the 1st officer involved shooting for the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office this year.
In 2023, there were 43 officer involved shootings in South Carolina. The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office had no officer involved shootings last year.
