Aiken County deputy loses his job after reportedly firing gun

WARRENVILLE, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A deputy was fired this week after the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office found he violated policy in discharging a gun during a confrontation with a driver.

The shooting happened around 10:09 a.m. Tuesday after Williams stopped a black Nissan Pathfinder on Howlandville Road near Cemetery Road, according to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office. Williams fired his gun, which hit the rear of the vehicle, according to authorities.

No one was injured, but the gunfire violated the agency’s use-of-force policy, so Williams was terminated Wednesday, according to the agency.

The driver, Brittany Norton, 29, drove away and was pursued to the 200 block of Schley Street, according to deputies.

Norton was eventually taken into custody and was expected to be charged with failure to stop for a blue light and possession of a Schedule IV substance, according to deputies.

Williams had been with the sheriff’s agency since December 2021 and was assigned to the uniformed patrol division.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is continuing with its investigation into the incident.

The incident in Aiken County was the seventh officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2023 and the first this year for the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.

Tuesday’s gunfire came just a few days after a New Ellenton Police Department officer fired a gun during an incident that followed a road chase. No one was injured in Thursday’s incident.

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