SLED investigating officer involved shooting in Newberry

Dec. 13—NEWBERRY — Agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) are investigating an officer involved shooting which occurred on the evening of Thursday, December 7, 2023, in Newberry County.

According to officials, a deputy with the Newberry County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call about a man trying to break into a home in Whitmire, S.C.

"The deputy responding to the call encountered the subject, an armed man," a release said. "The Newberry County deputy fired his weapon. The armed man was shot and died at the scene."

The deceased was later identified by the Newberry County Coroner's Office as 35-year-old David Michael Kitchens.

No deputies were injured in the incident, officials said. SLED was requested to investigate by the Newberry County Sheriff's Office.

SLED conducts law enforcement officer involved shooting (OIS) investigations at the request of the agency involved in the incident or the agency with jurisdiction. When requested to investigate an OIS, SLED officials said their goal is to conduct a thorough, independent criminal investigation as timely as is possible under the circumstances. SLED agents will conduct interviews with all potential witnesses in this matter. Further, SLED will collect all relevant evidence and will forensically test such evidence as needed. Information gathered in the SLED investigation of the incident will be summarized in a case file report to be submitted to prosecutors, they said.

The incident in Newberry County was the 40th officer involved shooting in South Carolina in 2023.

This is the first officer involved shooting for the Newberry County Sheriff's Office this year.

In 2022, there were 32 officer involved shootings in South Carolina. The Newberry County Sheriff's Office had no officer involved shootings last year.