Deputy First Class Austin Derek Aldridge, 25, was killed while responding to a domestic violence call in Spartanburg County, South Carolina on June 21, 2022. Around 3:20 p.m. on Chaffee Drive he was ambushed and critically wounded by a 63-year-old man, later identified as Duane Leslie Heard. Bystanders provided immediate aid and gave officers a description that helped locate the shooter.

Heard initially feigned surrender when confronted by another deputy, then fired at that deputy. A pursuit ended when Heard crashed near a Keurig Dr. Pepper plant; he exchanged more gunfire with deputies, fled into woods, and was captured by a SWAT team and a police canine. Aldridge was transported to a local hospital and died at 9:26 p.m. that evening. Heard suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds during his capture but later died in custody before facing trial. Aldridge had served three years with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and is survived by his wife, who was expecting their first child.

Does anyone have information about Deputy Aldridge, the incident on Chaffee Drive, or the moments that followed that could help clarify what happened?