SAUNDERS Authorities are trying to determine why a 28-year-old Gaffney man stole a piece of heavy equipment and carved out a nearly 3-mile-long path of destruction before being shot to death by police.

Police said Aaron Christopher Saunders used a Case 821 front-end loader to kill 67- year-old James Ellie Brogden.

Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said Brogden died at the scene.

Authorities said Brogden, an ordained and commissioned officer of The Salvation Army, was house-sitting for his son-in-law Todd Morgan and his daughter Pam Morgan at 973 Pleasant School Road.

The vehicle used in the assault is a large-wheeled vehicle typically used to lift enormous objects with front forks that weigh approximately 10 tons. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle but the suspect refused.

Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton said deputies on patrol in the Concord area of Cherokee County encountered the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the operator refused to halt. The front-end loader had been parked at Cherokee Speedway.

Blanton said deputies chased the front- end loader for about three miles and at times tried to shoot out the tires on the vehicle. However, that strategy failed because the tires are solid, not air-filled.

These two photos show the massive size of the piece of heavy equipment used to kill a local man. Police opened fire on the driver of the vehicle after he refused to stop and attempts to shoot out the tires were unsuccessful. The sheriff said Brogden was killed when Saunders used the heavy piece of machinery to lift the Toyota and drop it on Brogden when he had come outside to see what was going on.

It was at this point that deputies opened fire on the front-end loader operator, hitting Saunders several times.

Saunders died during surgery at Spartanburg Regional Hospital.

No officers were injured.

Agents from the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) are working the extensive crime scene and interviewing deputies.

"This is an instance where the sheriff wanted us to look into the incident," said SLED spokesman Jennifer Timmons. "Situations like this are requested by someone like a chief or sheriff, as they aren't cases taken on by our organization.

"We're going to gather evidence, conduct interviews and get as much information as possible," Timmons said. "But we have no timetable for how long this will take. We want to get all details figured out, and definitely we don't know everything at this point."

Salvation Army Capt. Robbie Robbins said Brogden was a person of "high character."

"You could tell what type of person he was the first time you met him," Robbins said. "(Brogden) believed in the Salvation Army and was part of it through and through.

"His presence around here will definitely be missed, but without a shadow of a doubt we know he's in a better place."

Saunders was accused in March of using a 1986 Honda to intentionally strike six vehicles, then fleeing on foot. Authorities used a Taser to subdue him.

Saunders was charged with driving under suspension, malicious damage to property, possession of a suspended driver's license, driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, breaking arrest and possession of marijuana.

Saunders had not yet gone to trial.

Fowler said he has ordered autopsies to assist in the investigation.