Officer is cleared in fatal car chase

An Aiken Public Safety officer did not violate procedures during a chase that ended with the death of the driver being pursued, the department said.

According to police, about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Cpl. Chris Carter tried to stop the driver of a 1995 Jeep Cherokee on Whiskey Road on suspicion of driving under the influence. Twenty-two-year-old Brendan Ryan Wilson didn't stop for the patrol car's blue lights, said Lt. David Turno, a spokesman for the department.

Cpl. Carter pursued Mr. Wilson for about two miles before Mr. Wilson hit a tree on Silver Bluff Road. According to the coroner's office, he died at the scene. The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Speed is considered a factor in the accident, and toxicology results are pending.

An autopsy has confirmed that a 39-year-old Augusta man shot himself in the head Monday after barricading himself in his home.

Richmond County sheriff's deputies were serving a domestic violence warrant to Todd Santos, of 1119 Emmett St., when he barricaded himself inside the home. They then heard gunshots from inside. The home was also set on fire, and the first floor was damaged extensively.

-- From staff reports