FBI investigating Shaw Air Force Base incident after airman shoots man attempting to 'illegally gain access" to Sumter base
The FBI is investigating an incident from Friday where an airman shot an injured a man authorities say was attempting to illegally enter Shaw Air Force Base with what they say was a prohibited weapon.
The FBI Columbia office released a statement the afternoon of Christmas Eve saying its investigators are conducting the examination with support from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. According to the emailed statement, there is no indication this “isolated incident is related to terrorism or any other violent extremism, and there is no threat to the general public.”
During the incident, an airman assigned to the 20th Security Forces Squadron shot and injured a person attempting to illegally enter the Sumter base about 1:30 p.m. Dec. 23, according to a news release from the base. The person was described as a “gaterunner.”
The injured man, called by the FBI as an individual and a subject, rather than a suspect, remains in a Columbia-area hospital and is expected to recover. No one else was injured.
According to local airmen on Friday, the main gate off U.S. 378 was the only one open Friday, which meant there was a long line of vehicles at the gate as officers responded to the situation.
Col. Kristoffer Smith, 20th Fighter Wing commander, said Friday the wing’s security forces personnel are “trained to respond to a variety of situations to ensure the safety of our personnel and assets.”
The FBI Columbia office said in its statement Saturday that because the investigation remains active, “
additional details cannot be provided at this time.”