Deputies say man ran over and fatally shot another man outside courthouse after custody hearing

Incident occurred in a courthouse parking lot after a child visitation hearing.

ByThe Associated Press
August 13, 2024, 4:35 PM

LAURENS, S.C. -- A man ran over another man in a courthouse parking lot and then fatally shot him after a child visitation hearing in South Carolina, authorities said.

Stephen Andrew White, 32, is charged with murder after the killing Monday afternoon outside the Laurens County courthouse, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Erin Lee Thomas, 34, was taken to a hospital by helicopter but died a short time later, investigators said in the statement posted on social media.

No one else at the courthouse was injured and White was immediately arrested.

Family Court records show Thomas was the plaintiff and White the defendant in a child custody or visitation case Monday. Additional details were not available.

Court records did not indicate if White had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. He is being held in jail without bond.