COLUMBIA, S.C. (Transatlantic Today) – A sheriff in South Carolina is defending the deadly shooting of a Black man who charged authorities with a wooden club, claiming that officers can’t be expected to put their lives on the line in risky situations.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott’s comments come in the heels of a public outrage over the Saturday killing of Irvin D. Moorer Charley. According to ABC NEWS, Moorer Charley, 34, was shot and slain in Columbia when officers responded to a complaint concerning domestic violence.
Moorer Charley was suffering from mental health problems, according to critics, and officers were unjust to shoot him. However, when Officer John Anderson reached the house on Sunday, Lott informed journalists that numerous people claimed Moorer Charley had hurt them and that Moorer Charley was in there with a knife.
Anderson continuously screams at Moorer Charley to “Drop the weapon!” as Moorer Charley comes toward the officer, who is slowly backpedaling, according to a body camera footage given by Lott.
According to Lott, a second deputy, Zachary Hentz, came later, and officers unsuccessfully tried to restrain Moorer Charley using an electric shock gun.
Moorer Charley rushed Hentz after that, according to Lott, and Hentz shot Moorer Charley 4 times.
“It was a very close encounter,” Lott testified, adding that Hentz continued firing until Moorer Charley fell to the ground, and that the final bullet was fired from a distance of less than 3 feet (0.9 meters). Moorer Charley was resuscitated by cops until an ambulance came, he said.
Lott stated that he would not make the complete video public. He added, however, that he had played it for the coroner and that he will play it for the prosecuting attorney and the department’s public advisory board as well. He also expressed interest in playing it for Moorer Charley’s family.
The South Carolina Black Activist Coalition and Stand As One, among others, scheduled a second press briefing on Sunday to condemn the shooting, claiming it was unjustified. Solicitor Byron Gipson of the Fifth Circuit will determine whether or not to prosecute the police with a felony.
Moorer Charley was shot in the back, shot while being in custody, and shot ten times, according to Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford. Moorer Charley’s liver, aorta and heart were all hit by the gunshots, according to Rutherford.
Lott noted that the 911 call had not characterized Moorer Charley as someone in a mental crisis, in response to concerns that cops reacted harshly to someone with mental health problems.
According to Lott, the most recent fatal police shooting in his agency occurred in 2013.