South Carolina Gun Show Shooting: Lexington Deputy Shot, Returns Fire and Kills Gunman

A Lexington County sheriff's deputy working security at a gun and knife show in Columbia, South Carolina, was shot by a patron on Saturday afternoon, November 14, 2026, and returned fire, killing the man, the Lexington County Sheriff's Office said. The deputy was taken to hospital, underwent surgery and was reported in stable condition.

Key Points

• A Lexington County sheriff's deputy was shot by a patron at the Jamil Temple gun and knife show in Columbia, South Carolina, on Saturday afternoon, November 14, 2026.
• The deputy returned fire, killing the man. Neither the deputy nor the man who was killed has been publicly identified.
• The deputy was taken to hospital, went into surgery and was reported in stable condition.
• The shooting happened at 206 Jamil Road in the Harbison area, where the South Carolina Arms Collectors Association was holding its weekend gun and knife show.
• The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has been asked to investigate, and the sheriff's department said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

What Happened

The shooting happened on Saturday afternoon at the Jamil Temple event centre, 206 Jamil Road, in the Harbison area of Columbia, just off Interstate 26 near St. Andrews Road. The South Carolina Arms Collectors Association was holding its weekend gun and knife show at the venue, and a Lexington County sheriff's deputy was working security inside when a patron shot him.

The deputy returned fire, killing the man. The Lexington County Sheriff's Office confirmed the sequence of events but released no further details about what led to the confrontation, and it has not said what kind of weapon the patron used or how many shots were fired.

The wounded deputy was taken to hospital, where he went into surgery. He was later reported in stable condition. The sheriff's office has not released the deputy's name, and the man who was killed has also not been publicly identified.

The gun show's published rules ban loaded weapons inside the building except for those carried by on-duty police officers, and require all weapons on display or for sale to have their actions secured. The sheriff's office has not said whether those rules were relevant to what happened on Saturday

Background: The Jamil Temple Gun Show

The Jamil Temple, in the Harbison area on Columbia's north-west side, is a long-standing venue for gun shows in the South Carolina capital. The South Carolina Arms Collectors Association, the group behind the weekend event, regularly holds shows there that draw collectors and dealers from across the state to buy, sell and trade firearms, knives and related items.

The South Carolina Gun Show Shooting: What We Know So Far

What is confirmed is a short chain of facts: a Lexington County sheriff's deputy was working security at the gun and knife show on Saturday afternoon; a patron shot him; the deputy returned fire and killed the man; the deputy was taken to hospital, had surgery and was in stable condition; the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has been asked to investigate; and the sheriff's department said there was no ongoing threat to the public.

Almost everything else remains unknown. The sheriff's office has not said what set off the confrontation, whether the deputy and the man knew each other, or whether any words were exchanged before the shooting. It has not identified either man, nor described the deputy's injuries beyond the fact that he needed surgery and was stable. But it leaves the central question — how a shooting happened inside a venue where loaded weapons are banned — unanswered for now.

Reactions and Statements

The Lexington County Sheriff's Office confirmed the shooting and the deputy's condition, and said it had asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to investigate. The department also said there was no ongoing threat to the public, a reassurance aimed at residents of the Harbison area and at others who had planned to attend the weekend show.

The sheriff's office released no further details about what led to the confrontation, and it has not named the deputy or the man who was killed. No hospital has been named, and no statement from the deputy's family has been made public. The South Carolina Arms Collectors Association has not issued a public statement about the shooting, and it is not known whether the show went ahead on Sunday as scheduled.

Why It Matters

The shooting matters first because a law enforcement officer was seriously wounded while working security at a public event. Deputies assigned to gun shows are there precisely because the venue is full of weapons, and the incident is a reminder that the risk they face is real even in a controlled setting.

It also matters because of where it happened. A shooting inside a gun show, a venue whose published rules ban loaded weapons, raises immediate questions about how the patron was armed and whether the rules were followed. The answers will shape how the show's organisers, and other gun shows in South Carolina, review their security.

What Happens Next

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division will now lead the investigation, as it does with officer-involved shootings across the state. Its agents will interview witnesses, review any security video from the Jamil Temple, and examine the weapon used by the man who was killed. The findings will go to the local prosecutor, who will decide whether the deputy's use of deadly force was justified.

The sheriff's office is expected to release the names of the deputy and the man who was killed once their families have been notified, and an update on the deputy's condition is expected as he recovers from surgery. Whether the gun show continues on its normal schedule, and whether the South Carolina Arms Collectors Association changes its safety rules, will become clear in the coming days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did the shooting happen?
The shooting happened at the Jamil Temple event centre, 206 Jamil Road, in the Harbison area of Columbia, South Carolina, during the South Carolina Arms Collectors Association's weekend gun and knife show.

What happened to the deputy?
The Lexington County sheriff's deputy was shot by a patron on Saturday afternoon, November 14, 2026. He was taken to hospital, went into surgery and was reported in stable condition.

Who was the gunman?
The man who shot the deputy and was killed when the deputy returned fire has not been publicly identified, and the sheriff's office has released no details about what led to the confrontation.

Is there a threat to the public?
The Lexington County Sheriff's Office said there was no ongoing threat to the public after the shooting.

Who is investigating the shooting?
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has been asked to investigate, as is standard practice for officer-involved shootings in South Carolina.

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