Police shoot man in hours-long standoff on I-26

555 The man deputies shot dead after a chase and standoff on Interstate 26 in March was involved in another chase months earlier, after which he told a family member "he was going to make the police shoot him" if he was pulled over again, according to a recently-released investigative report. Robert B. Shaw, 29, was killed in a burst of gunshots on March 28, ending a standoff that shut down I-26 for hours and was punctuated by deployments of flash bangs, tear gas and whimpers from a puppy that was inside the truck before Shaw eventually raised a gun toward officers, according to records from the State Law Enforcement Division obtained through an open-records request. SLED investigated the shooting at the request of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department and has closed its investigation. Months before the deadly shooting, Shaw was involved in another police pursuit and, after getting out of jail, said "he was going to make the police shoot him" if he was ever pulled over again, according to Nelda Reaves, a family friend who spoke with investigators at the hospital after Shaw died. "He did this on purpose and I believe it was suicide by cop," Reaves told investigators, according to the report. Reaves said Shaw had dated her sister for about eight years, and that she thought of Shaw as a brother even though they weren't related. Toxicology testing showed that Shaw's blood contained methamphetamine, amphetamine and Alprazolam when he died, according to the SLED report. Alprazolam also is known as Xanax and is used to treat panic and anxiety disorders, according to WebMD. No charges were filed against the officers involved. "After we reviewed all of the facts and evidence in this case, we determined that law enforcement used lawful force," said Robert Kittle, spokesman for the S.C. Attorney General's Office, which reviewed the case at the request of the 11th Circuit Solicitor's Office. All the officers involved were placed on administrative leave after the shooting but have since returned to their normal duties, said Capt. Adam Myrick, spokesman for the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. The department declined to comment beyond the final SLED report and the statement from the Attorney General's Office.

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