LANCASTER, S.C. — Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from a man claiming to have killed a woman and her son on Sunday afternoon.
A man called 911 around 12:30 p.m. Saturday from a home on Mosteller Drive in Lancaster. He told dispatch that he had shot a woman and her son.
Deputies and the suspect engaged in a shootout after the man met them on the lawn with a gun. Witnesses told Channel 9 they saw the suspect shooting at deputies from behind a vehicle.
“It was so many bullets that I just fell and started crawling because I didn’t know which direction they were going in so I could get to my phone,” said neighbor Gloria Quattlebaum.
The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. He has been identified as 24-year-old Jacob Sobieraj.
SWAT and South Carolina Highway Patrol set up a perimeter and entered the house, deputies said.
The mother, Christina, and the boy, Colin, were found suffering gunshot wounds inside the home. They were treated on scene and then transported to a hospital.
Lancaster County Coroner confirmed the death of 6-year-old Colin.
Quattlebaum told Goetz she lost a dear friend in the shooting. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division officials said the mother was receiving treatment at a hospital.
“She would come sit on the porch,” Quattlebaum said. “Colin was... such a little sweet little soul he always had the sweetest smile and very respectful.”
She said she delivered a gift to Colin for his sixth birthday last fall.
“It was a little outfit and he said, ‘Where’s the toys?’” Quattlebaum said.
Christina’s father told Goetz that the suspect was living in the family’s garage. He said the suspect needed a place to stay, so the family took him in.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is leading the investigation. No further information has been provided at this time.
WATCH: Suspect dead, woman and child shot after officer-involved shootout in Lancaster County
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