Charleston man who barricaded himself inside West Columbia hotel room shot at officers, officials say

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – A 34-year-old Charleston man is facing several charges after authorities say he barricaded himself inside a West Columbia hotel room during a domestic dispute before shooting at law enforcement officials.

Officers with the West Columbia Police Department responded to a domestic violence call at a Hilton Garden Inn off McSwain Drive on Tuesday afternoon.

At the scene, officers approached the suspect’s room on the fifth floor where the individual, Jonathan Russell Saylor of Charleston, shut the door on officers and told them he was going to shoot them.

According to information provided by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, authorities and trained crisis negotiators made contact with Saylor and attempted to de-escalate the situation, but Saylor shot rounds through the hotel room door and shot several rounds inside the room.

That is when West Columbia PD requested assistance from the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

During the incident, officials said Saylor broke through the window of his hotel room – which overlooked Sunset Boulevard – and began firing at approaching law enforcement officials.

SLED officers returned fire at the suspect.

“The West Columbia Police Department’s drone as well as SLED’s robots were used for a better view of what was happening in the hotel room,” officials said. “The West Columbia Police Department took Mr. Saylor into custody after making entry at approximately 7:20 PM.”

Saylor suffered minor injuries including a gunshot wound to the lower body and a wound from a K-9 apprehension, officials said. There were no reported injuries to law enforcement.

Saylor is charged with attempted murder, discharging a firearm into a vehicle, two counts of discharging a firearm into a dwelling, three counts of malicious injury to personal property, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.

He was taken to the Lexington County Detention Center.