Rutherford wants case of officer who shot Seneca teen reopened

South Carolina’s House minority leader wants the state’s top prosecutor to reopen the investigation into the shooting death of a 19-year-old by a Seneca police officer during a drug sting.

Rep. Todd Rutherford of Columbia told media outlets that he watched the dashcam video of the July 26 incident in which Zachary Hammond was killed and says Hammond wasn’t trying to run down the officer. Rutherford wants Attorney General Alan Wilson to reopen the case.

Solicitor Chrissy Adams announced last month that no charges will be brought against officer Mark Tiller, saying the video corroborated Tiller’s belief that he was going to be run over.

But Rutherford said Hammond did not try to run down the officer.

“Zach Hammond did nothing but try and get away,” Rutherford said. “And in doing so, he lost his life. That’s a great injustice. It’s an injustice anywhere in the civilized world.”

The lawmaker said that Tiller should have been charged.

“The fact that he was not is certainly a disgrace to South Carolina,” Rutherford said. “It’s a disgrace to this family and they deserve better than that.”

A spokesman for Wilson said Friday that the attorney general is out of state on military duty in the National Guard and won’t be able to comment until next week at the earliest.

Adams said she would not object if lawmakers decide that the attorney general should deal with all police-involved shootings. But she said until then she will do the job she was elected to do.

She also said Rutherford is a liberal Democrat trying to advance a political agenda. She added that Rutherford, an attorney, knows that the standard in criminal court for a conviction is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Rutherford wants case of officer who shot Seneca teen reopened."