Authorities have confirmed three people have been shot dead in rural Greenwood, South Carolina.
Camera IconAuthorities have confirmed three people have been shot dead in rural Greenwood, South Carolina. Credit: AP

Three dead in South Carolina shooting

AAPAAP

Topics

The suspect in the killing of three people in rural South Carolina has been arrested at a Florida hotel after getting on a plane after the shootings.

A man and two women were killed in the shootings on Monday around 3pm inside a Greenwood County home just off US Highway 25, Sheriff Dennis Kelly said.

A child was also hurt in the shooting, but managed to get out of the home and go to a neighbour who called 911, Kelly told The Index-Journal of Greenwood.

Jeffery David Powell, 36, was arrested at a hotel in Jacksonville, Florida, deputies said in a statement early on Tuesday morning.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Kelly told the newspaper that Powell flew to Florida on a commercial flight but didn't give details about how he got to the airport or what led to his arrest.

Deputies were still trying to determine what led to the shooting, Kelly said at a news conference on Monday evening.

"There's a relationship there, but we're still trying to get some of those details on how they know each other," the sheriff said.

Powell has a charge of breach of trust of between $US2000 and $US10,000 pending in Greenwood County and was convicted of domestic violence in both 2013 and 2014, according to court records.

Deputies did not say if Powell had a lawyer and they did not detail what charges he is facing in the shootings.