Officer Killed in Shooting at South Carolina Airport Sunday Morning, Cops Say

An officer was killed in a shooting at a South Carolina airport early Sunday morning, said the State Law Enforcement Division, or SLED.

The officer involved shooting was reported before 6 a.m. at Florence Regional Airport, SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby told The State.

An airport public safety officer was shot and killed by a man during a traffic stop, according to SLED.

The man suspected of fatally shooting the officer escaped, but was later apprehended by Florence County Sheriff’s deputies, per SLED.

The member of law enforcement killed was identified as Officer Jackson Winkeler in a condolence tweet from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

The Florence County Coroner’s Office confirmed the 26-year-old Dillon resident was the person killed, WPDE reported.

Information on any other injuries caused by the shooting was not available.

SLED said James Edward Bell is the shooting suspect.

The 37-year-old is being held at the Florence County Detention Center, according to SLED. Information on Bell’s charges was not available.

The situation was under control as of 9 a.m., and Crosby said airport operations were not impacted and the facility is not locked down.

The airport is about 80 miles east of Columbia.

SLED is working with local law enforcement to investigate the shooting, Crosby said.

SLED said it will investigate an officer involved shooting at the request of the agency involved in the incident.

This was the first officer involved shooting in South Carolina in 2020, after 45 incidents were reported in 2019, according to SLED.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

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