Columbia Man Sentenced to 30 years for Shooting Two Lexington County Deputies

Lexington, SC 04/08/2026 - Albertus David Lewis, a 33-year-old Columbia man, pled guilty on March 30, 2026, in Lexington County to two counts of Attempted Murder for shooting two deputies with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department on August 9, 2020. Attempted Murder carries a maximum sentence of thirty (30) years in prison. Circuit Court Judge Debra R. McCaslin accepted the negotiated thirty-year sentence for the shooting. Under South Carolina law, attempted murder is classified as a violent, most serious, no-parole offense.

Solicitor Rick Hubbard commented: “Like all of us, our law enforcement partners hope to return home safely each day. We owe it to them to rigorously prosecute any individual who threatens their physical safety.”

Sheriff Jay Koon, during the sentencing hearing, recounted receiving the phone call about his officers that afternoon. Following the hearing, Sheriff Koon commented: “This outcome is a clear example of justice served for this act of violence against our deputies. We are thankful for the collaboration among agencies that ensured the man responsible is held accountable for his actions.”

Senior Assistant Solicitor Sutania A. Fuller handled the prosecution of this case. The investigation was conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

On August 9, 2020, at approximately 4:05 p.m., law enforcement responded to a domestic violence complaint by Lewis’ girlfriend. She advised dispatch that Lewis had a gun. She reported that he was threatening to kill her and would not let her leave with their daughter. Once deputies with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department arrived, Lewis barricaded himself in the apartment and attempted to start a fire. Deputies established a perimeter and attempted to call Lewis out of the apartment. Lewis was observed in the home with his 4-year-old daughter in his left arm and an article of clothing burning in his right hand. Loud verbal commands were given to Lewis to show his hands and come out. Lewis then threw the flaming article of clothing on the rear concrete slab and squirted liquid on it. He continued setting articles of clothing on fire and throwing them out the back door.

Lewis eventually exited the front door of the residence using his daughter as a human shield. Deputies attempted to detain him. Lewis resisted arrest and shot both officers before he was ultimately shot. After Lewis was shot, he continued to resist arrest and bit two of the officers during the attempt to detain him. Ultimately, one officer was shot in the chest and leg.  His bullet proof chest stopped the bullet. Another officer was shot in the arm.

Lewis has a prior record of burglaries, property crimes, and drug possessions. At the time of this shooting, Lewis was out on bond for a shooting death out of Richland County. He pled to voluntary manslaughter from that incident, which will run concurrently with the 30-year Lexington County sentence he received. Lewis has been transported to the South Carolina Department of Corrections to serve his prison sentence.