South Carolina authorities identify man shot by officer

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. – Authorities have identified a man who was shot and killed by a police officer in South Carolina.

The Sun News quotes Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard as saying that the man shot early Friday morning was 33-year-old Aaron Payne of the Surfside Beach area.

The newspaper reports that Payne lived in the neighbourhood where he was shot.

Surfside Beach Fire Department chief Kevin Otte said Payne was a volunteer firefighter from late 2015 until July 2016.

Myrtle Beach Police have said the shooting happened as police were checking on a report of a suicidal man who refused to put a gun down and eventually pointed it at an officer.