SLED: Man charged after multi-county chase, exchanging gunfire with trooper in Dillon County

DILLON COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – State Law Enforcement Division has released details including the identity of the suspect involved in a shooting with a South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers Monday morning.

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SCHP troopers made attempts to stop Tyquan Raheem Bellamy, 29, for speeding on Highway 76 in Marion County. Investigators said Bellamy did not stop and the chase led troopers into Dillon County where Bellamy and the trooper exchanged gunfire.

No one was hurt in the shooting.

Bellamy was taken into custody at a home in the Greenwood Park area near Marion and was transported back to Dillon County.

During the search for the person, Latta Schools was put on a modified lockdown, according to Superintendent George Liebenrood. A modified lockdown means that all students were kept inside, and no activities were taken place outside of the building. He added that even though the situation was happening a couple of miles away, he wanted to make sure that all students were safe. Liebenrood also said that a school resource officer was positioned at the main office.

He is charged with attempted murder, possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent felony, pointing and presenting a firearm, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

SLED said this is an ongoing investigation and will conduct interviews with all potential witnesses and will gather evidence. Information gathered during the investigation will be summarized in a case file and submitted to prosecutors.

The incident in Dillon County was the 5th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2023. It is the first shooting involving a SCHP trooper in 2023.

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