Lee County police dog killed after standoff with man wanted in McBee shooting

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – An hours-long manhunt for a man accused of shooting a police officer in McBee ended in a chaotic standoff in Lee County.

This is about 30 miles from McBee.

A Lee County officer was injured and a police dog was killed in the shooting.

The suspect, 27-year-old Alston Modlin, was also killed.

I was there while the police tried to reconstruct the tragic turn of events.

“This is my 8th police-involved shooting since I became sheriff in 2010. This is too much,” said Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon.

Lee County Sheriff Daniel Simon speaks to our cameras just moments after officers got into an altercation with Alston Modlin in the Hartsville area of ​​Lee County. Sheriff Simon says Modlin used an assault rifle.

“There were a number of shots fired. I don't want to go into too much detail as the investigation is still in its early stages,” said Sheriff Simon.

The multi-agency search for Modlin began early Friday morning after SLED agents issued a statewide wanted notice for Modlin and his 2013 Toyota Tacoma around 8 a.m. Lee County officials located his vehicle just two hours later.

“We had nearly 200 to 150 law enforcement officers here to assist the citizens of Lee County. We issued an alert to stay safe and thank God we didn't lose anyone,” said Sheriff Simon.

But the sheriff's office must now cope with the loss of their police dog, Mikka, who died while riding in the patrol car that caught fire during the standoff.

Sheriff Simon said, “The vehicle was actually struck by gunfire. The vehicle caught fire and she obviously couldn't get out of the vehicle and the officers couldn't get to the vehicle.”

“When I got to the back door and looked out the window to see who was out there, he was gone,” Price said.

Homeowner James Price said Modlin knocked on his back door after the shooting.

“Then the police came and told me I had to leave for a minute because something had happened, and I probably lay there two or three miles down the road and sat there until it was all over,” Price said.

Price says Modlin then ran into a cornfield next to his house.

“They called me and told me he was shot over there in the field,” Price said.

It is still unclear if Modlin shot himself in the cornfield or died from his injuries from the standoff. Horry County police are currently investigating the shooting involving a deputy in Lee County, while SLED is investigating the shooting in McBee.

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