A York County law enforcement officer is in critical condition and three others are being treated in the hospital after a domestic violence suspect shot them early Tuesday.
Detective Mike Doty, a 12-year veteran with the York County Sheriff’s Department was shot in an ambush early Tuesday morning. York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson says he was among the nearly 50 officers, including K-9 and SWAT teams, searching for 47-year old Christian McCall.
“Detective Mike Doty is very critical, hanging on to life,” Tolson said. "We’ve had lots of support, calls, texts, emails, and folks coming by the office and we appreciate the public’s support for our officers. We need your continued prayers.”
Tolson says they received a call Monday night of a woman being assaulted. When officers arrived, he says McCall had fled on foot. A K-9 unit and helicopter searched the nearby area for McCall. About 1 a.m., shots were fired, allegedly by McCall, hitting K-9 officer Randy Clinton. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Law enforcement officers from surrounding jurisdictions joined the search. Hours later, Tolson says McCall ambushed and shot Doty and two other officers. The other officers are Buddy Brown with the Sheriff’s Department and Kyle Cummings with the York Police Department. Their wounds required surgery but are not life threatening.
Police returned fire during the ambush and McCall was also shot in the process. Tolson says he does not know the extent of his injuries. He says the domestic violence victim, believed to be McCall's wife, does not have serious injuries. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division officials are handling the investigation. They would not comment on the case.
