SC prosecutor won’t bring charges against Sumter officers after man shot 19 times
No criminal charges will be filed against three Sumter police officers who shot and killed a man during a Dec. 10 confrontation that grew from a domestic dispute.
Third Judicial Circuit Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney made the announcement at a Wednesday news conference at the county judicial center in downtown Sumter.
A major factor in deciding against filing charges was that police video shows Waltki Williams, 35, fired one shot from a gun as an officer grappled with him for control of the weapon, the prosecutor said. On hearing the shot from Williams’ gun and seeing a muzzle flash, three officers fired their Glock 17s at Williams, who was on the ground.
“None of the three officers will be charged,” Finney said. “This is not a tough call.”
Finney’s news conference was the first full official explanation of what happened during a fatal 11 seconds at the end of a nighttime police chase through Sumter streets.
After Williams crashed his car, he jumped out a window and ran. Gun in hand, he was tackled by officer J. Hansen. Until Finney’s announcement, law officers had not revealed that Williams had a gun and had fired before the officers opened fire.
Williams had a 9mm pistol with an extended 30-round magazine, Finney said. The suspect’s DNA was on the trigger, and gunshot residue was on his hand, Finney said of examinations of the weapon done by the State Law Enforcement Division.
Police fired 23 shots; 19 struck Williams, who died within minutes, the prosecutor said. He was struck mostly in the back. Bullets penetrated his heart, lungs and aorta.
Of the three officers, Kaela Fleming and Dustin Hilliard are white, Finney said. The third, Darian Quiroz, is Hispanic. Williams was African-American.
In the hourlong news conference, Finney showed reporters videos from officers’ body cameras and displayed still photos taken from those videos. The images depict Williams’ gun in his hand. Finney also played audios from several 911 calls and showed more videos taken from police dash cameras during the pursuit of Williams through Sumter, with blue lights blazing and sirens screaming.
The videos proved vital in documenting that the officers’ shooting was legally justified, Finney said. Videos showed “an uncooperative subject who had no concern for the safety of the citizens of Sumter, failed to surrender after crashing into an occupied vehicle, causing extensive damage, and then abandoned his disabled vehicle, carrying a weapon, which he fired once he was tackled by a brave officer,” the prosecutor said.
Although officers fired a total of 23 shots, Finney praised the three for not using all the bullets in their pistols. He praised Hansen for holstering his gun during the final seconds of the chase and trying to subdue Williams without resorting to a firearm.
Five uniformed officers involved in the shooting still have not returned to full duty, a Sumter spokeswoman said without elaborating on the reasons.
Williams was in a relationship with a 16-year-old girl and she had told him she wanted to end it, Finney said. He did not identify the girl because she is a minor. A SLED report shows the girl’s mother told police that Williams had been stalking the family and “terrorizing” members.
According to SLED, Williams’ criminal record includes 21 previous charges of burglary with threats of violence, violating restraining orders, malicious injury to property, trespassing, assault and intimidation.
A lawsuit filed last month by Williams’ family alleged that Williams was struck 19 times by police bullets, including 17 times in the back. The suit contends that Williams was unarmed on the ground when police fired.
Carter Elliott, a lawyer for the family, said Wednesday that despite the prosecutor’s decision and evidence showing Williams apparently had a gun, the family will press forward with the suit. There remain ample grounds to pursue damages in civil court, Elliott said.
Elliott said he will be reviewing evidence in the case, including videos and SLED crime lab evidence.
Some S.C. officer-involved shootings in recent years:
▪ May 2011. Eutawville police chief Richard Combs shot and killed Bernard Bailey, an unarmed black man trying to drive away from Combs after an argument they had at Eutawville city hall.
There was no video. Juries deadlocked in two trials of Combs, a white man, who was charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter. In 2015, Combs pleaded guilty to misconduct in office. He received a suspended prison sentence and one year of home detention. In a civil suit, the town of Eutawville paid Bailey’s heirs $400,000.
▪ February 2014. North Augusta police office Justin Craven pleaded guilty to misconduct in office for shooting an unarmed 68-year-old black man, Ernest Satterwhite, who was in his driveway after a long pursuit by police. Craven had followed Satterwhite, whose blood alcohol content exceeded the state standard as evidence of intoxication, to his Edgefield County home. Craven said he was going to arrest Satterwhite on a charge of driving under the influence. Craven was sentenced to probation and community service. Satterwhite’s family received a nearly $1.2 million settlement from North Augusta. Craven no longer works as a police officer.
▪ September 2014. S.C. Highway Patrol trooper Sean Groubert was fired and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in a shooting that followed a traffic stop at a gas station along Broad River Road near Columbia. Levar Jones was shot in the leg after Groubert fired four shots. Much of the incident was caught on Groubert’s dash-cam video. He pleaded guilty to the charges but has not yet been sentenced.
▪ 2015. North Charleston police officer Michael Slager was fired and charged with murder after a bystander’s video depicted him shooting a motorist, Walter Scott, in the back as Scott ran after a traffic stop. In December, a Charleston County jury deadlocked on a verdict. Slager faces a retrial. He also is scheduled for a trial in May on federal civil rights charges.
This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 2:56 PM with the headline "SC prosecutor won’t bring charges against Sumter officers after man shot 19 times."