Man arrested in connection with Sumter County officer-involved shooting

The S.C. Law Enforcement Division arrested a man Monday in connection with an officer-involved shooting in Pinewood on Jan. 30.

Pharis Leon Blair, 37, was charged with second-degree assault and battery after he reportedly attacked Sr. Cpl. Nelson Rosario of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and struck him on the head and face, causing moderate bodily injury, according to Tommy Crosby, public information officer for SLED.

Rosario responded to the 200 block of East Fulton Street that morning in response to a domestic call. According to Deputy Adrienne Sarvis, public information officer for the sheriff's office, Rosario was assaulted and overpowered during a verbal exchange, causing him to discharge his firearm.

Blair was shot during the incident and airlifted to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Crosby said he has since been released from the hospital and was booked at the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center.

Rosario, who has been with the sheriff’s office since 2016, was treated for injuries at a local medical facility and released on the day of the incident. No other injuries were reported.

Rosario has been put on administrative duty, meaning he will not perform his normal duties on patrol while SLED investigates.

The investigation remains active, Crosby said. It will be prosecuted by the Sumter County Third Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

According to SLED, this is the fifth officer-involved shooting in South Carolina this year. In 2020, there were 49 statewide, including one in Sumter County, which involved the fatal shooting of a deputy by a man who was also killed.