Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The suspect accused of shooting seven law enforcement officers, one fatally, near Florence, S.C. was holding children hostage during the incident, authorities said.
The children were not hurt after a two-hour stand-off that began as authorities tried to serve a warrant related to a possible child sex crime, officials said.
The suspected shooter, Fred Hopkins, is now in custody, NBC's Kerry Sanders reported for TODAY.
The man opened fire while authorities were serving a warrant in an upscale outside of Florence around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Florence County Sheriff's Maj. Mike Nunn said. Officers were gathering evidence for an alleged sexual assault involving a foster child when someone police described as a man his 70s opened fire as they knocked on the door, TODAY reported.
One police officer died and eight people, including four police officers, three sheriff's deputies and a 20-year-old man sustained gunshot wounds in the shooting.
Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken identified the officer who died as Terrence Carraway, 52, of Darlington, in a WBTW-13 Thursday morning update on the shooting.
City of Florence spokesman John Wukela said Carraway, a 30-year veteran of the Florence Police Department, was minutes away when he got the call to help fellow officers. He died on his way to the hospital.
Florence Police Chief Allen Heidler, also a close friend of Carraway, called him "the bravest police officer" he's ever known.
Details on the conditions of the other injured victims were not available early Thursday.
