Woman ‘understands’ why barber shot and killed her brother

RIDGELAND, S.C. (WTOC) - We are hearing from the family of the man, who police say tried to rob a barbershop in Ridgeland, before he was shot and killed.

The family of Curtis Scott is sorry.

“We understand that he had to do what he had to do to protect himself and his customers,” Curtis’s sister, Lahoma Scott, said. “We send out our deepest heartfelt apologies for that.”

On Thursday, police say Scott and another suspect attempted to rob a barbershop in downtown Ridgeland while wielding a machete before it ended in gunfire.

The barber they tried to rob pulled out a gun and shot Scott.

“He is standing right here and swings, then like pivots right here, and the rest is history,” the barber told us in an exclusive interview on Friday.

Scott tried to make it back to his car, but later collapsed and was pronounced dead.

His sister says this was not the kind of person he was.

“Curtis was an animal lover. Curtis used to feed the homeless. He loved doing work out in the yard, he used to be a short-order cook, and he also painted,” Lahoma Scott said.

But last Thursday, she says her brother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was off his medication.

“Having those two with him and his mind not being right, he needed to be on his medication,” Scott said. “Him being on his medication was a big help for him because he would think, have a clear mind, and focus.”

The family believes that someone may have taken advantage of him.

“If they are not taking their medication, yes, somebody can tell them what to do. If they are not in their right frame of mind to think, to say, ‘You know this doesn’t sound right or this isn’t normal.’ They’re going to listen to that other person.”

In this case, police are currently following up on leads to try and locate the other suspect.