Greenville SC Gunman: Police on Hunt for Shooter Amid Massive School Lockdown
A number of schools, including Christ Church Episcopal School, have been placed under lockdown in Greenville, SC, after a gun-battle shook the surrounding apartment complex Friday morning.
SWAT teams arrived on the scene shortly after the suspect, described as a 30 to 35-year-old black male with long hair in a pony tail, managed to escape after engaging in a shoot-out with a police officer.
The Greenville News reports that a manhunt has been launched after seven schools in the area were placed under lockdown with police urging anyone that spots the suspect to call 911. Several other local agencies have joined in with the search.
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According to Greenville Police Chief Terri Wilfong, an officer on duty pursued a driver whose license plates did not match the vehicle. The suspect refused to listen to orders to stop, and sped away onto the I-85.
The officer reported the incident to other patrols in the area, and later found the vehicle near the Berkley Point apartment complex at around 10 a.m. The suspect started shooting at her at the scene, and she returned fire. After a short gunfight, in which the officer escaped injury, the suspect managed to get away.
The SWAT teams have been stationed in the neighborhood just in case, and the schools remain in lockdown over safety reasons.
Oby Lyles, Greenville County Schools spokesman, confirmed that Christ Church Episcopal School, St. Joseph's Catholic, Sara Collins ES, Washington Center, Greenville Tech, Virginia College and Patrick Center have all been placed under full lockdown.
“Full lockdown means nobody in, nobody out. Partial lockdown means it’s closely monitored,” she explained.
Police believe the man to be hiding out in the nearby woods. They have said that they believe he may be armed with an automatic weapon, but are unaware whether he has been injured from the shoot-out.
