Two years after the tragic incident, the Upstate still remembers

Today, June 21, marks the two-year anniversary of the tragic death of an Upstate deputy in the line of duty.

Spartanburg County Deputy 1st Class Austin Aldridge died after being shot by a suspect named Duane Heard while responding to a domestic dispute in June 2022. Deputy Aldridge was ambushed by the suspect and buried a few days later.

Heard died in October of that year after sustaining injuries in a shootout with the deputies. Later that year, Aldridge was awarded Deputy of the Year. Here is the audio recording of the end-of-watch call for Deputy Aldridge.