Police Chase Ends In Killer's Suicide

"COLUMBIA, SC — A Columbia cab driver was shot to death Friday afternoon in a Waffle House parking lot, and the suspected shooter later killed himself after leading police on a 30-minute, high-speed chase through three counties in the stolen cab.

"Authorities Saturday morning identified the gunman as 20-year-old Nicholas Kyle Rivers of Camden. The cab driver's name was not released. However, Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews said the man killed at the Waffle House on Two Notch Road near I-20 was a driver for Checker Yellow Cab company in Columbia.

"Richland County deputies were called to the Waffle House shortly after 4 p.m. after someone called to report gunshots, said Richland County Deputy Arielle Reposta, a department spokeswoman.

"The Checker Yellow Cab driver was found in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds and taken to Palmetto Health Richland, where he later died from his injuries.
Richland County sheriff’s deputies responding to the shooting saw the stolen Checker Yellow cab and followed it onto I-20, Reposta said.

"Once the shooter crossed into Kershaw County, Matthews said, his deputies took over the chase. The shooter left I-20 at Exit 108 onto S.C. 34 and then drove into Lee County, where that county’s sheriff’s deputies joined the chase.

"`The guy was flying,` Matthews said.

"The shooter eventually drove back into Kershaw County and headed toward Camden, Matthews said.

"As the chase neared the Camden city limits, the Kershaw County deputy requested permission to perform a driving maneuver where he would bump the cab driven by the shooter and force it to spin out, Matthews said.

"As the deputy approached the stolen cab the two cars hit a patch of road where Camden Police Department officers had laid out spikes to stop the shooter’s vehicle . The cab tires blew out, and the car spun into a guardrail. It hit a second guardrail before coming to rest in the middle of the road, Matthews said. The spikes also punctured the tires of the deputy’s patrol car.

"`My deputy and the Lee County deputy came up to the cab and the guy had shot himself in the head,` Matthews said. `He was slumped over the steering wheel and bleeding all over the place.`

"The shooter was airlifted to Palmetto Health Richland but died from the gunshot, Matthews said."

From The State...