MCBEE, S.C. — The man accused of shooting a McBee police officer is dead after an hourslong manhunt in South Carolina, officials confirmed.
Austin Modlin, 27, was on the run after he allegedly shot a police officer during a traffic stop Thursday night in McBee, which is in Chesterfield County. Law enforcement confirmed they'd located Modlin around 10 a.m. after a standoff in Lee County, near the Darlington County line. The Lee County Coroner's Office confirmed he was dead, the Horry County Police Department said.
Modlin originally left McBee in a 2023 Toyota Tacoma. The truck was reportedly found in Florence around 6 a.m. Friday. Modlin remained at large for several hours until officials found him in Lee County.
Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon said his chief deputy and an officer with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources were wounded on Friday as authorities were searching for Modlin, WLTX reported. Both officers are expected to recover. Simon also said a K9 deputy named Meka died when a deputy's vehicle caught on fire.
It's unclear how Modlin died, but Horry County police said a "shooting incident" took place when officers found him. The agency confirmed a death investigation is underway but didn't provide any further details on the situation.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed the injured McBee police officer was in the hospital receiving treatment. The officer hasn't been identified. The Chesterfield County School District issued a statement saying the shooting, which happened near McBee High School, wasn't related to the school in any way. McBee is just over an hour southeast of Charlotte. Lee County is about two hours from Charlotte.
Horry County police said it was the 33rd officer-involved shooting in South Carolina this year. Anyone with information on the incident can contact SLED at 866-472-8477.
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