A campus police officer at Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina shot and killed a man who allegedly struck him while trying to flee.
The officer was investigating reports of a car break-in behind a school dormitory when he spotted two people, said Thom Berry, spokesman for the South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division.
Police caught one person shortly afterward. The other got into a car and struck the officer while trying to drive off, Berry said.
The officer, “in fear of his life,” fired, Berry said.
Authorities didn’t name the officer or the person who was killed.
Campus officials put the school in temporary lockdown, and asked students to contact their parents to let them know they were safe.
“A parent’s love for their child(ren) is like no other so a quick phone call or text to know you are safe will ease their mind,” the school’s alumni relations office said in a Facebook post.
Spartanburg Methodist is a two-year junior college. On its website, it says 90% of its students graduate and transfer to four-year schools for bachelor’s degrees.
Classes will proceed as scheduled Tuesday, the school said.