A black man is dead after the motel clerk he tried to sexually assault and rob, fought back and killed him, deputies said

Investigators say that 43-year-old Vincent Carson entered Days Inn motel early in the morning. As the female clerk went into the breakfast room to prepare breakfast, she found Carson waiting inside. The victim said that Carson held a knife to her throat and said "this is a robbery." Investigators said that when her attacker slipped the knife into his pants pocket to begin tying her up with plastic ties, the woman pulled a handgun from under her shirt, turned and fired into the man's chest at point blank range. The victim was about 100 pounds lighter than Carson and stood at least a foot shorter than him, investigators said. When deputies got to the scene they found the suspect unresponsive on the floor. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said that Carson died from a single gunshot to the chest. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said Carson's intent was not only to rob the motel, but also to rape the clerk. "There's no doubt that was his intent," said Lott. "Not only was he going to rob her, but he was going to sexually assault her. Now what was he going to do after that assault was over with, we don't know." The suspect was wanted in at least one other motel robbery in the Midlands. The Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department was looking for Carson in connection with a robbery at the Hampton Inn on US Highway 601.