A single vehicle collision on 85 in Spartanburg County led to a suspect being shot and killed by Deputies. Around 3:40AM Sunday, Highway Patrol contacted the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office for assistance at the scene of a collision on 85 Northbound at the 71 mile marker.
The driver had fled into nearby woods and was initially located by fire department personnel. The suspect asked if they were law enforcement, when fire fighters responded no, the suspect said he had a gun and asked them to let him know when law enforcement arrived.
When Spartanburg County deputies located the suspect on the other side of a fence, the suspect refused repeated verbal commands, he lifted his shirt, and reached for an object in his waistband. All four deputies fired their weapons at suspect, which resulted in his death.
The Spartanburg County Coroner has identified the suspect as 25-year-old Nicholas Daniel Austin Papala. SLED is now the lead investigative agency in the shooting, which is standard protocol for officer involved shootings statewide. No deputies were injured.
