Friend believes Walterboro officer-involved shooting suspect suffered PTSD, was a lineman helping with storm recovery

WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCBD) – As state police investigate a deadly officer-involved shooting in Walterboro, a friend who knew the suspect is sharing his story and claims the man suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The shooting happened in the parking lot of a Ruby Tuesday off I-95 on Tuesday night. Colleton County deputies were called to assist the Walterboro Police Department after a man, identified as 32-year-old Joseph Horan V., was in the parking lot slashing tires and breaking vehicle windows.

Authorities said Horan had a knife, refused to drop it, and then attacked a Colleton County deputy with the weapon. A deputy fired their weapon, killing Horan.

Stan Heyne said he and Horan were linemen and spend 10 days helping to restore power in Florida after Hurricane Milton struck.

“First day we did some paperwork, shook hands, and went to Florida,” Hayne recalled.

When the work was finished, the pair headed back up I-95. Horan said he had suffered serious wounds, including a brain injury, and lost some of his fingers while serving in the Marines.

While riding along the interstate… “He’d be talking about something and he kind of drifted off. But when he came back, that conversation wasn’t there. What he had just talked about was not there,” he said.

Heyne said he didn’t think much of it at the time. He believes Horan may have been having some sort of flashbacks from his time at war.

After they arrived at the Best Western in Walterboro for the number, Heyne went to his room and Horan went across the street to get something to eat.

“I think he had been home for like a day – if he even made it home – from Helene to the Carolinas, which was still Helene, and back down to Hurricane Milton. You know, I kind of wondered if maybe working in the battlefield brought him back.”

He continued, “I don’t know. I’m sure all of a sudden, he was in a strange place, and I have no doubt. It was just tragic.”

The deputy who fired their weapon has been placed on administrative leave but has not been identified. The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating.

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