Five people – including a doctor, his wife and two grandchildren – were killed in a mass shooting at a home in South Carolina that ended early Thursday with a suspect in custody, authorities said.
The gunfire at a house in Rock Hill broke out on Wednesday around 16:45 and dr. Robert Lesslie (70), his wife Barbara Lesslie (69), two of their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and the 5-year-old dead. Noah Lesslie, according to the Sheriff’s Office of York County.
A fifth victim, James Lewis, 38, who was working at home at the time, was also fatally shot. A sixth person, who was not immediately identified, was admitted to hospital with a serious gunshot wound, authorities said.
Investigators said they identified and detained a suspect in the mass shooting after finding him in a nearby home.
“There is no active threat to the community,” said sheriff’s officials tweeted early Thursday.
The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was arrested after an eight-hour hunt, the state reported.
Robert Lesslie has been practicing medicine in Rock Hill since 1981, according to his biography of Riverview House Calls & Riverview Hospice and Palliative Care, where he worked as medical director. He is survived by four children. He and Barbara Lesslie had been married for more than 40 years, reports The State.
Lesslie earned his degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and worked at facilities in Greenville and Charlotte, where he was the principal resident at Charlotte Memorial Hospital.
The board-certified emergency physician also specializes in occupational medicine and has written several books on his experiences with patients, including ‘Angels in the ER’, which according to his bio has sold more than 200,000 copies.
“Dr. Lesslie lives in Rock Hill with his wife, Barbara, and their golden retriever, Moses, several miniature horses, goats, donkeys, chickens and many bees,” the bio continues. “They have four adults and eight grandchildren growing up. “He likes golf, travel and bagpipes.”
A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office in York County told the newspaper it was unclear what connection, if any, the suspect had with the Lesslie family.
“We are all shocked that this could happen here in York County,” spokesman Trent Farris said. “It’s a mass shooting. Normally you think of a movie theater or a mall, but we consider it a mass shooting because five victims were killed. ‘
Faris noticed how prominent Lesslie was in the Rock Hill community.
“He was my doctor, if that’s enough,” Faris told The State.
Sheriff’s Officer tweeted on Wednesday they were looking for a “young black male” wearing a hoodie and camouflage pants after the six victims were found.
Faris did not want to identify the alleged gunman or provide information about his condition during a news conference that ended at 1 a.m. Thursday, The State reported.
Lesslie’s family is asking for privacy while mourning, Faris said.