Deputies Open Fire At Woman

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office is looking into a Thursday night incident that ended when deputies opened fire at an apparently suicidal woman, after she confronted them with a gun.

The incident occurred just after 9 p.m. at 3228 Cannon Road in Greer. According to Public Information Officer Zach Hinton, deputies on scene were advised that a female inside the home had created a disturbance and was possibly making suicidal threats.

Though deputies attempted to make contact with the woman, later identified a 38-year-old Deborah Crisp, she reportedly refused to cooperate.

While still on scene, deputies heard sounds of gunfire coming from inside the residence.

"As other units began to arrive, deputies made numerous attempts to speak with the female by phone and loud speaker in an attempt to bring a peaceful resolution to the incident," Hinton said.

When the woman stepped outside her home, she reportedly pointed a firearm at deputies on scene, causing them to fire at the subject. Four deputies, whose names are not being released by Patch because of their status as undercover officers, fired 18 rounds during the incident. Hinton said no deputies received any injuries, nor is it believed that Crisp received any wounds from return fire.

Crisp was taken into custody after the gunfire, and taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital for evaluation. She has been charged with five counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

"The responding men and women displayed a tremendous amount of courage during this incident," said Sheriff Steve Loftis. "I am grateful to them all."

Loftis also said the Sheriff's Office of Professional Standards is conducting an internal investigation of the incident, since shots were fired. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is not involved, since no injuries arose from the gunfire. A .38 caliber and 9 mm handgun were found at the scene, along with two open boxes of ammunition.

Crisp is still behind bars at Greenville County Detention Center on $30,000 surety bond.