Pubdate: Sun, 30 Dec 2001
Source: The Post and Courier (SC)
Copyright: 2001 Evening Post Publishing Co.
Contact:   http://www.charleston.net/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/567
Author: Edward C Fennell

NARCOTICS OFFICER SHOT DURING DRUG SEARCH

An exchange of gunfire between narcotics officers and a man whose 
home they attempted to search Saturday left one officer with a bullet 
wound to his hand. A second officer injured his hand during a violent 
struggle to subdue the suspected shooter.

The suspect suffered a head injury while fighting officers, and like 
the injured officers, was taken to a hospital, Charleston County 
Sheriff's Office spokesman Mitch Lucas said. Lucas said three shots 
were fired at sheriff's deputies through a locked bedroom door when 
they entered the Lantern Street home, located west of the Ashley. 
Deputies returned fire. Lucas identified the suspect as Dale Antley. 
The officers' names were not released but Lucas said the shooting 
victim was in surgery late Saturday at Roper Hospital. The second 
injured officer was treated at Roper and released, he said. Antley 
was treated and released from Charleston Memorial Hospital and is 
expected to be charged with assault and battery with intent to kill, 
Lucas said. He said additional charges are possible.

Lucas said three separate investigations by two law enforcement 
agencies will look into the shooting, the officers' conduct and the 
suspected drug activity that prompted the officers to obtain a search 
warrant. A .38-caliber revolver that is believed to have been used in 
wounding the deputy was taken into evidence, Lucas said. Some of 
Antley's Lantern Street neighbors said that on some nights the street 
was crowded with cars making brief stops at the residence. The State 
Law Enforcement Division will investigate how the officers handled 
the effort to serve the search warrant and what led to the exchange 
of gunfire.

The sheriff's office will continue its drug investigation and also 
probe the criminal aspects of the shooting, Lucas said. Lucas said 
the sheriff's office's Metro Major case Unit, which conducts drug 
investigations, had been looking into suspected drug activity on 
Lantern Street for several months.

The probe included surveillance of Antley's residence, he said. About 
7:15 p.m. Saturday, Metro officers arrived at the residence with a 
warrant to search for drugs.

No arrest warrants had been issued, Lucas said. He said seven 
officers "in full-raid gear" were on the search team. Five officers 
took positions outside the home while two went to the door. The 
officers knocked and announced they were from the sheriff's office, 
and that they had a warrant, but "there was no response from inside 
the home." Lucas said the officers forced open the door, and while 
announcing loudly that they were from the sheriff's office, began to 
search for anyone who might be inside. The officers approached a 
bedroom door and found that it locked.

Suddenly shots came from the room through the door, he said. A shot 
hit an officer in the hand, and a deputy returned fire. "We believe 
he (the suspect) fired three times and that we fired three times," 
Lucas said. The officers broke down the door and began fighting with 
the suspect, he said. When Antley was finally handcuffed, it was 
discovered that he had a head injury.

Neighbors who said they saw Antley being taken on a stretcher to an 
ambulance said it appeared his head was bleeding. Lucas said doctors 
determined Antley was not injured by gunfire.
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