COLUMBIA, S.C. – Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says it appears a murder suspect from Houston took his own life during a shootout with law enforcement at an apartment complex.
Law enforcement leaders gave an update Tuesday morning into the investigation into the death of 42-year-old Damon James, who was died Monday at the Byron Road Apartments in southeast Columbia.
Lott said while the information is preliminary, it appears James killed himself. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts added that while there were other bullets that struck James' body, from what they've been able to determine, the fatal wound came from a contact self-inflicted round to the head.
Watts said he expects to rule the death a suicide soon.
Lott says U.S. Marshals in Texas alerted their counterparts in South Carolina that James could be in the Columbia area. James is accused of killing his former girlfriend, Rita Salton, in October of 2014 as she was on her way to work. Salton was a mother of four.
"I don't wish no harm on nobody, but that man took my child's life," Bernice Stagg, the victim's mother, told KHOU 11 News. "I'm glad they got him."
Around noon Monday, officers with the fugitive task force arrived at the apartment complex to serve the warrant against James. The officer who were dispatched there are described as "elite," and included members of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Columbia Police Department.
When confronted, police say James fired at them, and they in turn fired back. None of the officers were hurt.
Because they were not involved in the incident, the Richland County Sheriff's Department was asked to investigate the death. Lott says they will pass their investigation along to the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office.
Lott pointed out that all officers go into these situations expecting to be peacekeepers or warriors, but it's the criminals who determine who these situations end.
"The bad guys are the ones who dictate what's going to happen," Lott said.
Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook, whose officers were part of the arrest, said he was pleased that the violence from Monday didn't involved anyone else.
"I'm glad we had no other loss of life of any innocent persons," he said.
Investigators have still not determined why James was in South Carolina.
