[SC] Ex-Lexington SWAT Detective Thompson killed after threatening wife, holding daughters hostage, and cutting officer

Craig Thompson was a 10-year veteran of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. A former detective and member of the department's SWAT unit, he was trained to respond to hostile situations. But the sheriff said Thompson may have called on that training to take his own life Friday morning... His 42-year-old wife told 911 operators Thompson had a gun and wouldn't allow his children to leave... Thompson, apparently committed "suicide by cop" after emerging at 3 a.m. Friday from the house where he had been keeping his 4-year-old twin daughters hostage for nearly four hours... Thompson was wearing a utility vest loaded with guns and ammunition. He came face-to-face with two SWAT officers from the team he was once part of. Metts said Thompson pulled a knife from that vest and stabbed one of the officers. He says deputies were forced to act... Thompson was shot and killed after he attacked a deputy with the knife...

FORMER SOUTH CAROLINA SHERIFF'S DEPUTY SHOT, KILLED AS OFFICERS ATTEMPTED TO ARREST HIM

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

March 18, 2011

[Excerpts] A former Lexington County sheriff's deputy has been shot and killed by law officers trying to arrest him after a domestic dispute. The State newspaper reports deputies responded to the home of 43-year-old Craig Brewster Thompson late Thursday and were told Thompson was armed and barricaded inside with his 4-year-old twin daughters. Thompson said he was prepared to kill if deputies tried to enter. About 3 a.m. Friday, with a SWAT team at the scene, Thompson walked out with a knife and several firearms. Authorities said two officers tried to arrest him but when Thompson tried to attack one with the knife the other deputy shot him. Thompson died at a hospital an hour later. The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating. [LINK]

FORMER SWAT OFFICER SHOT AND KILLED BY DEPUTIES

WISTV.com

By Taylor Kearns

Mar 18, 2011

[Excerpts] A former SWAT officer was shot and killed in a struggle with law enforcement... Craig Thompson was a 10-year veteran of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. A former detective and member of the department's SWAT unit, he was trained to respond to hostile situations. But the sheriff said Thompson may have called on that training to take his own life Friday morning... Around 11:00pm Thursday, a distressed wife ran to a neighbor's house and dialed 911. Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said she left after her husband, Thompson, threatened to kill her. She said Thompson had several guns in the house along with the couples twin 4-year-old girls. "He told the supervisor he was ready for anything we might want to try because he had been trained in these types of situations, and if there was force used, he was gonna return force," said Sheriff Metts[Excerpts] "As [SWAT] were talking to him, they heard him loading or racking a gun inside the house, so they knew," said Sheriff Metts. Hours had passed. Then finally, around 3:00AM Friday, Thompson agreed to come out... Thompson was wearing a utility vest loaded with guns and ammunition. He came face-to-face with two SWAT officers from the team he was once part of. Metts said Thompson pulled a knife from that vest and stabbed one of the officers. He says deputies were forced to act. "He knew that if he posed that threat to law enforcement that we would have no choice but to do what was done," said Sheriff Metts... The Irmo Police Department arrested him back in March of 2009 on a DUI charge. [Full article here]

DEPUTIES SHOOT AND KILL IRMO MAN AFTER ALLEGED DOMESTIC DISPUTE

Fox News, WACH

by Emily Pace

03.18.2011

[Excerpts] ... The deputies were called to the scene late Thursday night at 200 Conrad Circle for a domestic dispute involving Thompson and his wife in their home. His 42-year-old wife told 911 operators Thompson had a gun and wouldn't allow his children to leave. She also said he had been drinking and threatened to kill her. "He responded by saying I am not going to do either, and if you try to come in with any force I am going to return force," says Lexington County Sheriff James Metts. SWAT was called in and officials were involved in a standoff. Thompson eventually came out of the house with several firearms and a knife. Deputies say Thompson was shot and killed after he attacked a deputy with the knife. "As the officers approached him, he pulled a knife out of his jacket and lunged at one of our officers, striking him on the hand," says Metts. "The other officer returned force by pulling out his revolver and hitting the individual once in the torso"... [Full article here]

EX-DEPUTY DIES IN 'SUICIDE BY COP'

By John Monk - McClatchy Newspapers

Saturday, Mar. 19, 2011

A former Lexington County detective and SWAT team member wielding a knife was killed in a domestic standoff Friday by a member of his old SWAT team. Former deputy Craig Brewster Thompson, 43, apparently committed "suicide by cop" after emerging at 3 a.m. Friday from the house where he had been keeping his 4-year-old twin daughters hostage for nearly four hours, according to Lexington County Sheriff James Metts... "He had no intention of giving himself up. He came out of there with that flack jacket on, with two guns inside, the knife, and all the ammunition. I think he knew that once he got outside and pulled the knife or gun, the officers would in fact retaliate by shooting him. I think he wanted someone else to take his life - something he probably didn't have the intestinal fortitude to do... It definitively was a suicide by cop... I really believe he put us in that situation"... Metts said things moved too fast for officers to use a Taser, especially since Thompson had said he would be giving himself up... "In a situation like that, where there's an immediate threat, you are instinctively trained to eliminate the threat"... Neither Thompson's wife, whose name was not made public, nor their 4-year-old twin daughters were hurt, Metts said. Thompson's wife had fled the house about 10:50 p.m. Thursday, leaving the two girls inside with Thompson. She then called 911 from a neighbor's house to seek help in resolving a "domestic dispute," Metts said. "He wouldn't let her take the children," the sheriff said. After the wife called 911, a road patrol supervisor spoke with Thompson on the phone and asked him to leave the house or allow his girls to leave, Metts said. Thompson refused. "The supervisor heard Thompson loading ammunition into a firearm while he was speaking with Thompson on the telephone," Metts said. Meanwhile, the wife had told deputies that Thompson had been drinking wine and "had access to numerous firearms inside the home," Metts said. She said he had been depressed and moody,... [Full article here]

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