Florence robbery suspect shot, killed by officer

FLORENCE, S.C. – It was business as usual Tuesday at the Cruizers gas station on West Palmetto Street, less than 24 hours after a man held the store’s clerks at gunpoint and was fatally shot by a Florence police officer while attempting to flee the scene.

“You always think twice after something like this,” said Cruizers clerk James Goodman, who was working Monday night when the robbery occurred. “But it doesn’t stop things. You still come to work, and people don’t need to stop coming here. This could have happened anywhere. It doesn’t mean it’s not safe here. And we’re going to do whatever we can to keep it safe.”

Goodman and another clerk were working at the Cruizers store at the corner of Palmetto and Greenway Drive at approximately 9:25 p.m. Monday when a masked man came into the store, pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money.

“I went out to dump some trash, come back in the store, started straightening up the drinks in the cooler,” Goodman said. “He come in behind me. We had another clerk on duty. He just walked straight behind the counter, put the gun on the clerk and demanded money.”

Goodman said his fellow clerk surrendered the money, and the man ran out of the store. Once in the parking lot, he was confronted by a Florence police officer, who happened to pull up in the parking lot as the robbery was in progress.

“The officer ordered the suspect to stop, and the suspect turned and pointed his gun at the officer,” Florence Police Major Carlos Raines said. “Fearing for his life, the officer discharged his weapon, and the suspect was hit.”

The man – identified by Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken as 27-year-old Patrick Small of 816 Dixie Street – died at a local hospital soon after the incident.

“It all happened so fast, we weren’t really looking out there,” Goodman said. “But then we heard the gunshots. It all happened so quick. I’ve been robbed before, and I wasn’t as aware as I should have been last night. Usually, I pay more attention, but last night, I just wasn’t thinking about it.”

Goodman said there were no customers in the store at the time of the robbery.

“Thank the Lord for that,” Goodman said.

The incident is under investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division. The officer is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the SLED investigation, as is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.