South Carolina shooting: Dr. Robert Lesslie and two grandchildren are among 5 killed in York County shooting, authorities say
Investigators believe the suspect was the only assailant, and are trying to figure out why anyone would have gunned down Dr. Robert Lesslie and some members of his family, sheriff’s spokesman Trent Faris said.
The slain grandchildren were ages 5 and 9, the York County Coroner’s Office said.
Authorities were called around 4:45 p.m. to a home just south of Rock Hill, a city of about 73,000 people on the other side of the state line from Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities said.
A sixth person was taken to a hospital with “serious gunshot wounds,” Faris said. The person’s name and condition information weren’t released.
After learning a suspect may be nearby, officers found a suspect in a home on the same road, Faris said.
Faris said investigators were “with him (the suspect), serving a search warrant” at the house where the suspect lived.
But Faris declined to release the suspect’s name, or answer reporters’ questions about whether the suspect is alive.
Doctor had been practicing in area since 1981
Faris said he has lived in the area all his life and that “Dr. Lesslie was my doctor growing up.”
“Dr. Lesslie has been one of those people that everybody knows. He started Riverview Medical Center in Rock Hill and it has been a staple in Rock Hill for years,” Faris said.
“If you are from Rock Hill and you are from around this area, the people who are involved are very prominent and very well known in York County,” Faris said.