Reports indicate that law enforcement officers shot and killed the suspect after he fatally injured a police canine and then shot two people, one of whom was a sheriff’s deputy, off the coast of South Carolina.
Rico, the dog, was sent onto a property on Johns Island, which is located west of Charleston, on Thursday afternoon, according to the Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division Mark Keel. The purpose of the mission was to search for Ernest Robert Burbage III in areas that a robot couldn’t access. According to the authorities, the man murdered the dog inside the residence, then went outside and pointed the same high-powered pistol at the police officers, who then opened fire and killed the man.
On Wednesday, Burbage is said to have opened fire on a passing motorist on the island, and ever since then, law enforcement officers have been trying to locate him. According to Sheriff Kristin Graziano, Burbage opened fire on members of the SWAT squad as they were exiting an armored truck late Wednesday night. The officer who was running the car was struck in the head by one of the shots.
Graziano shared images on social media showing a ballcap worn by Charleston County Master Deputy James Gilbreath that had been splattered with blood. He also added that Gilbreath was conscious and making progress in the hospital and would soon be released.
A different SWAT team went to the residence on Johns Island where Burbage had gone earlier in the search on Thursday afternoon. The house was where Burbage had gone earlier in the search. Keel asserted that a robot had been placed within the home in the beginning, but it was unable to access all of the rooms.
The police dog that was brought in to finish the search was subsequently killed by gunfire when it entered the building. As Keel prayed for Rico’s crew and handlers, Rico, who was just 3 years old at the time, followed suspects practically every day. Keel revealed this information.
Things may have gone from bad to worse if Rico hadn’t been there. Graziano made a comment about how appreciative the squad was.
Residents of Johns Island were urged by law enforcement to remain inside their homes and to get in touch with police if they observed anything strange in sheds, boats, or other hiding locations on the island.
On Thursday morning, representatives from the Charleston County School District announced that four local schools, including a high school, a middle school, and three primary schools, would be closed before the time that students were due to report for class. The Angel Oak on Johns Island, which is said to be up to 400 years old and is the largest oak east of the Mississippi, as well as the park that surrounds it, were both closed during the search for Burbage.
