Reports: Suspect in deputy’s homicide dies in hospice care

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man accused of killing a sheriff’s deputy in June has died in hospice care. News outlets quote the Spartanburg County coroner as saying that Duane Heard died Friday in Rock Hill. Heard was charged with murder in the death of 25-year-old Spartanburg County Deputy Austin Derek Aldridge. Officials say Heard ambushed Aldridge on June 21 near Spartanburg when Aldridge responded to a report that Heard had assaulted a woman. The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office has said Heard was shot twice during a vehicle and foot chase. Heard had been receiving treatment for injuries until he was discharged and booked into the York County jail on Oct. 20.