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Print This StoryAbbeville County Standoff Ends In Gunfire: Deputy Found Dead, Two Men In Custody
Tear Gas, Gunfire Ends Standoff
ABBEVILLE -- A long standoff in Abbeville County has come to an end with two people in custody and two law enforcement officers dead.
The standoff began after a magistrate's officer who authorities identified as 63-year-old Donnie M. Ouzts (shown, left) went to a small white house along state Highway 72, just west of downtown Abbeville about 9 a.m Monday morning.
When he didn't return to his office, two deputies went to the house and almost immediately put out an officer-down call.
"When we arrived on the scene, we knew one gentleman was out in front of the house. We mounted a small group and got him in a patrol car, and sent him to the hospital," Lance Cpl. Steve Sluder, with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, told WYFF News 4's Kisha Foster.
Ouzts was pronounced dead a short time later.
Officers tried to make contact with Danny Wilson (shown, right), an Abbeville County sheriff's deputy who authorities believed was inside the home, and tried to negotiate with Arthur and Steve Bixby, a father and son who were living in the home.
Around 9 p.m., officers used tear gas and stormed the home while under fire, finding Wilson dead inside. Steve Bixby was taken into custody. Arthur Bixby was taken into custody around 11 p.m. from another part of the home.
State Law Enforcement Division Chief Robert Stewart said the standoff ended in "a horrendous gunfight." He said officers were fired on with the most powerful weapons he had ever seen in his more-than-30 years in law enforcement. No officers were reported injured during the assault on the home.
Stewart said the attack apparently was a planned assault involving at least three family members. Before the standoff began, Arthur Bixby's wife went to an Abbeville apartment with another son and threatened to open fire on bystanders if either man was harmed during the standoff. No bystanders were injured.
Stewart said Arthur Bixby was shot once during the final gun battle. Bixby is listed in critical condition.
Stewart said officers found anti-American literature, suicide notes and other items inside the house and the apartment.
Stay tuned to WYFF News 4 beginning at 5 a.m. for the lastest information.
Previous Stories:
The standoff began after a magistrate's officer who authorities identified as 63-year-old Donnie M. Ouzts (shown, left) went to a small white house along state Highway 72, just west of downtown Abbeville about 9 a.m Monday morning.
When he didn't return to his office, two deputies went to the house and almost immediately put out an officer-down call.
Officers tried to make contact with Danny Wilson (shown, right), an Abbeville County sheriff's deputy who authorities believed was inside the home, and tried to negotiate with Arthur and Steve Bixby, a father and son who were living in the home.
Around 9 p.m., officers used tear gas and stormed the home while under fire, finding Wilson dead inside. Steve Bixby was taken into custody. Arthur Bixby was taken into custody around 11 p.m. from another part of the home.
State Law Enforcement Division Chief Robert Stewart said the standoff ended in "a horrendous gunfight." He said officers were fired on with the most powerful weapons he had ever seen in his more-than-30 years in law enforcement. No officers were reported injured during the assault on the home.
Stewart said the attack apparently was a planned assault involving at least three family members. Before the standoff began, Arthur Bixby's wife went to an Abbeville apartment with another son and threatened to open fire on bystanders if either man was harmed during the standoff. No bystanders were injured.
Stewart said Arthur Bixby was shot once during the final gun battle. Bixby is listed in critical condition.
Stewart said officers found anti-American literature, suicide notes and other items inside the house and the apartment.
Stay tuned to WYFF News 4 beginning at 5 a.m. for the lastest information.
Previous Stories:
- December 8, 2003: State Constable Killed; Standoff With Gunman Continues
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