A fugitive suspect was captured in Florida and charged with attempted murder after shooting an Aiken County deputy multiple times during a foot chase, according to SLED.
AIKEN, S.C. — The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating an officer-involved shooting that left an Aiken County sheriff’s deputy hospitalized with severe injuries, according to SLED.
The shooting happened Wednesday on Shiloh Heights Road near Pipeline Road in Aiken, according to SLED. A deputy had stopped a vehicle when an armed passenger got out and ran. The deputy chased him on foot while the driver fled in the vehicle, according to SLED.
During the chase, the man shot the deputy several times with an AR-style firearm, according to SLED. The deputy returned fire before the man got away. Investigators recovered an AR-style firearm at the scene, according to SLED.
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office identified the wounded deputy as Preston Metts, who remained hospitalized as of the release.
SLED, which was asked to investigate by the sheriff’s office, identified the shooting suspect as Morris Laytrell Dorch, 39. He was captured Friday morning in Jacksonville, Florida, with a gunshot wound to his foot, according to SLED. Dorch faces charges of attempted murder, possession of a firearm during a violent crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The driver, identified as Teondra Coleman, 32, was charged Thursday with misprision of a felony and booked into the Aiken County Detention Center. She was charged Friday with failure to stop for blue lights, according to SLED.
A third person, Leviel Priester, 41, was charged Friday with accessory after the fact and booked into the detention center, according to SLED.
The 2nd Circuit Solicitor’s Office will prosecute the case. SLED said the investigation is ongoing and no further details will be released at this time.
According to SLED, this is the 36th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2026 and the fourth involving the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office this year. SLED reported 45 officer-involved shootings statewide in 2025, including two involving the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.
Based on a release from S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Source: S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) original release.
