Florence County, South Carolina, shooting of 5 police officers: what we know

A suspect is in custody, but police are advising people to stay away from the area.

Five police officers were reportedly shot in Florence County, South Carolina, on Wednesday, and at least one died, according to local officials.

Authorities said the active shooter situation is now over and a suspect is in custody.

Florence County Emergency Management advised people to stay away from Vintage Place, calling it the scene of “an active crime investigation in progress.”

The story is still developing. Here’s what we know, and don’t, so far.

What we know

• Shortly before 5 pm local time, Florence County Emergency Management tweeted about “an active shooter incident in progress at this time,” advising people to stay away from Vintage Place in Florence.
• Three Florence County Sheriff’s Office deputies and two Florence Police Department officers were shot, Florence County Chief Deputy Glenn Kirby said, according to local news outlets and CNN.
• At least one of the officers died, Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken told CNN affiliate WBTW.
• A suspect is in custody.
• There have been at least 274 other mass shootings in the US in 2018, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The organization defines mass shootings as events in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, were shot but not necessarily killed in a similar time and place.

What we don’t know

• The shooter’s identity
• The shooter’s motive
• All the officers’ conditions
• Whether other people were shot
• The final casualty count
• All the victims’ identities