Shown are photos from the incident at Dillon Family Medicine. A man who was denied a prescription returned to the medical practice with a gun which he pointed at himself and was menacing to staff. Before the incident was over, he was shot by a deputy. [slide]

By Betsy Finklea
A man entered Dillon Family Medicine with a gun on Thursday afternoon shortly after he had been denied a prescription for narcotics.
The man has been identified as Carl Stephen Elkins, a 60 year old white male. The Herald is told he is not from the area, but  had been staying in the county. He was in stable condition at press time.
Dr. Granville Vance said that the 60-year-old man was presented as a new patient to the practice.  The man had a general medical examination, and after the evaluation, when he was about to be discharged, he requested several controlled substances, said Vance, which were denied. Dr. Vance stressed that the incident had nothing to do with the dispensary in the office and said that the man was trying to obtain a prescription.
The man left the office in an irate state and was observed by staff. About two minutes later, the man came back inside the office with a pistol and stopped in the waiting area.
The man pointed the gun at his head and was menacing to the staff, said Vance. He said the man never pointed the gun at the staff.
The office immediately began implementing their imminent danger evacuation plan. The staff evacuated those inside through various doors. Vance said they were fortunate that the man was not moving through the offi ce.
Dr. Vance complimented the Dillon police, who he said were on the scene within 60-90 seconds.
Dr. Vance said law enforcement officials did everything they could to get the man to put down the gun. When the situation escalated to the point that it was necessary for shots to be fired, the man was shot three times until he was incapacitated and taken to the hospital.
Dr. Vance said this was the first time in the history of the office that something like this has happened, and hopefully, it will be the last. He commended the office staff for their stellar performance.
Dr. Vance said the incident speaks to the widespread use and abuse of narcotics in our society.
The Dillon County Sheriff’s deputy who shot the man is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the SLED investigation, according to Sheriff Major Hulon. A SLED investigation is a common practice in an officer-related shooting.
At press time, The Herald  had received no word on the outcome of the SLED investigation or what charges Elkins will be facing.