Mayor: 68-year-old man killed after shooting at police first

FLORENCE (AP) — Authorities say a man shot by a police officer in the parking lot of a South Carolina hotel has died.

Florence Mayor Stephen Wukela said the man fired at the officer first at the Hilton Garden Inn around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Florence County Coroner Keith von Lutcken said 68-year-old Jethro Benjamin died a few hours later at the hospital.

Wukela said in a statement that officers came to the hotel because of a 911 call about a man with a gun and Benjamin was ordered to drop the weapon before he fired.

The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the shooting.