April 10, 2021- 10:44 a.m
GREER, SC – The coroner has identified the man who died in a deputy involved shooting in Greer as William Clayton Blackwell, 39. Jeff Wellmon, who lives in the Gibson Oaks Drive cul-de-sac where the shooting happened, said he had just gotten home when he heard about three gunshots.
“Literally just a few minutes after that, all of a sudden we just started hearing tons of sirens, and I knew something was really wrong,” Wellmon said. According to Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis, deputies were trying serve a warrant for criminal sexual conduct at a mobile home when the suspect grabbed a gun.
“They found the suspect…they identified him, attempted to make an arrest, at which time the suspect grabbed a firearm…a shooting took place,” Lewis said. The sheriff said several deputies were involved, but they’re all okay.
The suspect, later identified as Blackwell, died about an hour after being shot. Wellmon, who lives a few doors down from the site of the shooting, said it’s not the first time he’s seen law enforcement there. “The cop cars have been there regularly off and on through the years,” he said.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting. A Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said as per protocol, the deputies involved have been placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting is under internal investigation.
