SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A man holding a child hostage was shot and killed by deputies early Friday morning in Spartanburg County.
According to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at 3:20 a.m. to a disturbance with weapons call at Coldstream Dr. in Boiling Springs.
A child called 911 and stated her father had both a rifle and a shotgun and was threatening to shoot someone in the house and also himself, the sheriff’s office said.
Once on the scene, deputies were able to make contact with another man inside the house who verified the situation.
He told deputies that there were several other children in the house.
Deputies attempted to contact the man but were unsuccessful.
The sheriff’s office said the man and all but one child were able to escape the house by climbing out of a window.
The man started going in and out of the house with a rifle while holding the remaining child hostage and pointing the gun at the hostage, deputies, and himself.
“He was pointing weapons at his loved ones by the way,” said Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright. “Not just some random people, his loved ones”
Deputies eventually shot the man in defense of the hostage and themselves, according to the sheriff’s office.
The man, identified as 42-year-old Somchan Dan Somsanith, died from his injuries at the scene shortly after 4:30 a.m., according to the Spartanburg Co. Coroner’s Office.
No deputies were injured.
“Unfortunately, he is deceased but I am just going to give thanks and praise to the Lord that none of our deputies or hostages were hurt,” said Wright. “I don’t have an explanation for this. Our end goal is never to do that but we have to do our job. Sometimes evil rears its ugly head and we have to deal with it.”
Several neighbors said they awoke to the sound of gunshots.
“It was like three or four consecutive gunshots,” said neighbor Zaelina Jeter. “I knew it was gunshots because it was a real loud boom. I sat straight up in my bed and yelled to my son telling him to make sure to get down.”
Neighbors said it was a frightening scene in a neighborhood that is usually quiet.
“It was real close,” Jeter said. “I am quite sure that my neighbors right there have got to be scared because the bullets were going in their direction so it is very scary.”
The shooting remains under investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.