SC woman killed by man who turned the gun on himself, but he didn’t die, officials say

A South Carolina woman was killed Tuesday by a man who then shot himself, but didn’t die, Berkeley County officials said.

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office said it’s investigating what it believes to be a murder-attempted suicide.

The shooting happened on Kennan Avenue in the Goose Creek area of Berkeley County, according to the sheriff’s office. That’s near Naval Joint Base Charleston , about 17 miles from downtown Charleston.

Katie Sullivan, a 38-year-old Goose Creek resident, is the woman who died at the scene of the shooting, Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell said.

Sullivan’s body was discovered by deputies who were responding to a call about a domestic violence incident with gunshots , according to the sheriff’s office.

After attempts to make contact with occupants of the Keenan Avenue residence were unsuccessful, deputies said they saw signs of a struggle and went inside. That’s when they found Sullivan, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies were conducting a safety sweep of the residence when they discovered a man “with a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the sheriff’s office said.

The man, 31-year-old Goose Creek resident Michael Scott Vasko, was taken to an area hospital, according to the sheriff’s office. Further information on his condition was not available.

No other injuries were reported.

Preliminary investigations show Sullivan was the victim and Vasko is being investigated as the shooter, and criminal charges are pending against him, the sheriff’s office said.

Hartwell said Sullivan’s death is being investigated as a homicide by both his office and the sheriff’s office.

“We often tell our community if they see something suspicious to call us,” Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis said in a news release. “This tip from a neighbor helped deputies locate the crime scene in a quick manner.”