Hostage Situation in Charleston Ends as Gunman Shot by Police

An employee who was shot by the gunman succumbed to his injuries.

SWAT teams have reached the scene and people are getting evacuated. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter @offlede)

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• Gunman takes hostages in Charleston restaurant in South Carolina
  
• 400-block radius cordoned off by police
  
• Shooter fatally wounds a restaurant employee
  
• Police shoot gunman, bringing the situation to a halt
  
• Charleston Mayor rules out terrorism angle in shooting
  

Updated at:25th Aug, 2017 at 1:21 AM

Hostage Situation Ends

Hostage situation has ended in Charleston after the gunman was shot and wounded, as the Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg announced.

Tecklenburg says the man who took the hostages is in critical condition.

Authorities did not release the names of the gunman or the man killed. The employee who had been shot succumbed to his injuries.

Not an Act of Terrorism

Mayor Tecklenburg said at a news conference that the shooting Thursday at Virginia's in downtown Charleston was not an act of terrorism or racism.

Updated at:25th Aug, 2017 at 1:16 AM

Male Chef Shot by Gunman

An owner of a South Carolina restaurant where a gunman is holding hostages says he's been told the man is a dishwasher who was angry with and shot a male chef.

John Aquino told WCSC-TV that he thinks the gunman was fired and came back to Virginia's in downtown Charleston on Thursday to get revenge.

Charleston Police spokesman Charles Francis says officers were able to get the injured man out of the restaurant after the lunchtime shooting. 

Francis did not give any details of the man's condition.

Updated at:25th Aug, 2017 at 1:16 AM

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Several Hostages Held Inside Restaurant

Several hostages are being held inside a Charleston restaurant after a disgruntled employee shot someone according to the police, as US media reported.

Updated at:25th Aug, 2017 at 12:08 AM

Authorities say they are investigating a possible "active shooter" situation in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. A 400-block radius has been cordoned off to motorists and pedestrians.

Police spokesman Charles Francis said a shooting was reported just after noon on King Street, which is a row of restaurant and shops where tourists frequently gather.

He did not immediately report any injuries or information about a potential suspect. No other details were immediately available.

Tom and Patsy Plant told The Post and Courier of Charleston they were eating at Virginia's restaurant and saw a man come out of the kitchen with a gun in his hand and said "there's a new boss in town."

The couple said they left out a back door.

People are being evacuated from the area and SWAT teams have reached the scene.

(This is a developing story and more details are awaited.)

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Updated at:24th Aug, 2017 at 11:28 PM