A man shot and injured four law enforcement officers — one of them critically — early Tuesday near a South Carolina home, a sheriff’s spokesman said, after deputies initially were called there for a complaint of domestic violence.
The man suspected of firing the shots, Christian Thomas McCall, first struck one deputy near the home outside the city of York and then hit the others a couple hours later, York County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Trent Faris said.
McCall, 47, was injured when officers returned fire during the second exchange, which ended a nearly six-hour ordeal in which officers were looking for him, Faris said.
The wounded officers — three York County sheriff’s deputies and one York police officer — were taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds, including two by helicopter, Faris said.
One of the injured officers was in critical condition, Faris said late Tuesday morning. One was recovering from surgery, and the others either were undergoing or awaiting surgery, he said. The officers’ names weren’t released.
“We could really use your prayers and thoughts for those officers right now,” Faris said at an earlier news conference.
McCall also was taken to a hospital and was in surgery late Tuesday morning, Faris said. Information on his condition was not released.
Sheriff’s deputies initially went to the home outside York, a city of about 7,000 people roughly 12 miles south of the North Carolina state line, after 10 p.m. Monday, after someone called authorities to say a male was hitting a female there, Faris said.
The suspect, McCall, left the home on foot before deputies arrived, Faris said, and police dogs were brought in to search for him.
During the search, McCall fired a gun from somewhere near the home shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, hitting a deputy who handles one of the dogs, Faris said.
More officers arrived and searched near the home.
Shortly after 3:30 a.m., McCall fired again, and officers returned fire, Faris said. McCall, as well as two deputies and the York officer, were injured in that shootout.
Faris did not release any information about the female who allegedly had been hit.