Byker
2018-12-06 19:24:17 UTC
COLUMBIA, S.C. – A South Carolina woman shot and killed an
escaped inmate after the man kicked down her back door and
walked into her home early Tuesday morning, according the
Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.
Bruce McLaughlin Jr., 30, was still wearing his orange prison
clothing when he entered the woman’s Pickens home just before 3
a.m., Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark said during a press
conference.
“The victim was trapped in her home, in her bedroom,” Clark
said. “[She] was in fear for her life, she used lethal force to
protect herself.”
McLaughlin picked up a knife sharpening tool inside the woman’s
kitchen and walked to the woman’s bedroom, Clark said. She fired
one shot, striking McLaughlin in the head. He was pronounced
dead at a local hospital.
“This was a big guy. If she hadn’t had a weapon there’s no
telling what would have happened,” Clark said. “I gave her a big
hug. I told her how proud I was of her.”
Just minutes before he was shot and killed, authorities say
McLaughlin, along with fellow inmate Timothy Dill, assaulted two
guards and escaped from the Pickens County Prison.
Officers responding to the incident found Dill along Concord
Church Road, not far from the prison. Dill, who had been
arrested in July for criminal sexual conduct with a minor and
was awaiting trial, now faces additional charges of kidnapping
and assault and battery, among others.
Pickens County Sheriff records show McLaughlin had a lengthy
criminal past; he was awaiting trial on charges of first-degree
burglary and grand larceny.
Clark called the shooting justified and a “shining example” of
why firearms training is important. He said the homeowner, who
lived alone, had recently obtained her concealed weapon permit.
A full investigation into the shooting is ongoing, but, based on
preliminary evidence, the sheriff’s office said it appears no
charges will be filed.
“Very few people, even cops, go through situations like that,
and she’s kind of a hero to us here today,” Clark said.
https://wgno.com/2018/12/05/woman-shoots-kills-escaped-inmate-after-he-kicks-down-her-door/
escaped inmate after the man kicked down her back door and
walked into her home early Tuesday morning, according the
Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.
Bruce McLaughlin Jr., 30, was still wearing his orange prison
clothing when he entered the woman’s Pickens home just before 3
a.m., Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark said during a press
conference.
“The victim was trapped in her home, in her bedroom,” Clark
said. “[She] was in fear for her life, she used lethal force to
protect herself.”
McLaughlin picked up a knife sharpening tool inside the woman’s
kitchen and walked to the woman’s bedroom, Clark said. She fired
one shot, striking McLaughlin in the head. He was pronounced
dead at a local hospital.
“This was a big guy. If she hadn’t had a weapon there’s no
telling what would have happened,” Clark said. “I gave her a big
hug. I told her how proud I was of her.”
Just minutes before he was shot and killed, authorities say
McLaughlin, along with fellow inmate Timothy Dill, assaulted two
guards and escaped from the Pickens County Prison.
Officers responding to the incident found Dill along Concord
Church Road, not far from the prison. Dill, who had been
arrested in July for criminal sexual conduct with a minor and
was awaiting trial, now faces additional charges of kidnapping
and assault and battery, among others.
Pickens County Sheriff records show McLaughlin had a lengthy
criminal past; he was awaiting trial on charges of first-degree
burglary and grand larceny.
Clark called the shooting justified and a “shining example” of
why firearms training is important. He said the homeowner, who
lived alone, had recently obtained her concealed weapon permit.
A full investigation into the shooting is ongoing, but, based on
preliminary evidence, the sheriff’s office said it appears no
charges will be filed.
“Very few people, even cops, go through situations like that,
and she’s kind of a hero to us here today,” Clark said.
https://wgno.com/2018/12/05/woman-shoots-kills-escaped-inmate-after-he-kicks-down-her-door/