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A Lexington County sheriff's deputy working security at a gun and knife show in Columbia, South Carolina, was shot by a patron on Saturday afternoon and returned fire, killing the gunman, the Associated Press reported.
The shooting happened at Jamil Temple, a Shriners-owned event center on Jamil Road, about six miles northwest of downtown Columbia in the Harbison area. The venue is often rented out for gun shows, jewelry expos and roller derbies. The South Carolina Arms Collectors Association was running the weekend show, which was scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The sheriff's department said, based on preliminary information, that a person attending the event shot the deputy. He was taken to a hospital and into surgery, and his medical team described him as stable. Neither the deputy nor the gunman has been publicly identified, and officials have not said what led to the shooting. WYFF reported that more than one deputy was working security at the event when the patron fired. The sheriff's office later released a photo of its officers responding outside the event center.
State traffic cameras showed a large police presence around the temple at about 2:30 p.m., The Post and Courier reported. Officers from the Columbia Police Department, Richland County and the South Carolina Highway Patrol joined the response. Jamil Road was closed for a time, and traffic backed up on Interstate 26 between St. Andrews Road and Piney Grove Road. Sheriff's spokesperson Adam Myrick said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
The State Law Enforcement Division is conducting an independent criminal investigation, which the sheriff's department described as standard procedure. SLED will send its case file to prosecutors and has said it will release more information soon.
The association's posted show rules ban loaded firearms for everyone except on-duty law enforcement officers. The rules also require every weapon's action to be tied and secured. Officials have not said how the patron's gun came to be loaded inside the venue, or whether the show reopened on Sunday. The association did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP.
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