Deputy sees man kill self

EDISTO ISLAND -- A man shot and killed himself in front of a Charleston County sheriff's deputy who was checking on him following a wreck Monday morning.

A woman called 911 about 4 a.m. after she saw a pickup truck wreck in front of 2544 S.C. Highway 174, Maj. John Clark said.

A deputy responded and saw a man standing in the back of the truck. The deputy asked the man if he was OK and checked the pickup truck to see if anyone was inside, Clark said.

The deputy noticed a gun holster sitting on the floor of the truck and asked the man where the gun was. The man told him it was probably inside the truck somewhere, Clark said.

The deputy noticed blood on the man and asked to see the man's hands. When the man didn't immediately respond, the deputy took cover behind his patrol car and demanded to see the man's hands. The suspect pulled out the gun and shot himself in the chest, Clark said.

The man died at the scene. His identity has not been released.

Clark said the license plate on the pickup truck was actually for a car.

He said they're still investigating the shooting.

Reach Andy Paras at 937-5589 or at twitter.com/andyparas.