Prosecutor reviews investigation into police shooting of Columbia teen
The 5th Circuit Solicitor said he is reviewing an investigation into the death of a teenager who was shot by a Columbia police officer in April.
Joshua Dariandre Ruffin was shot on April 8 after police say the 17-year-old pulled a gun on an officer while being chased.
Ruffin, a black male from Columbia, was shot once and taken to Prisma Health, where he died from the gunshot wound, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said.
The shooting was investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which turned its findings over to the solicitor’s office.
On Wednesday, Solicitor Byron Gipson said he’s going over the SLED file that includes incident reports, body-worn cameras, videos, and witness statements, according to a news release.
“Upon completion of my review, I will share information with the public,” said Gipson, who represents Richland and Kershaw counties.
The shooting occurred around 6 p.m. after police said officers responded near Monticello Road and Columbia College Drive, where they were investigating reports of car break-ins. The area is close to Eau Claire High School.
While patrolling the area, an officer stopped to speak with Ruffin, who was walking along Monticello Road, police said. That’s when Ruffin began to run away, Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in a news release.
Holbrook said the officer followed on foot for about 20 seconds, at which point Ruffin pulled out a gun. The officer then shot Ruffin in the front upper body, the police chief added.
Police have not said if Ruffin fired his gun at the officer, though the department said the officer wasn’t injured.
The officer involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave with pay during SLED’s investigation, Holbrook said.
Police did not release the name of the officer, but in April authorities said he is a white male who has been with the department for 4 1/2 years and had not been involved in any prior shootings.
This was the first officer-involved shooting in 2020 involving the Columbia Police Department, SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby said.
Public scrutiny on violent incidents involving law enforcement has intensified following the death of George Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis last month.
Protests have been held across the U.S. in response to Floyd’s death on May 25 while he was in police custody. Floyd’s death, the latest in a series of deaths of African American men in police custody, has sparked national outrage since a video showed a police officer kneeling on his neck before he died.
That includes four consecutive days of protests in Columbia, where property on Saturday was damaged and cars burned. At least 55 people were arrested Saturday and Sunday. Law enforcement officers have used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up crowds and enforce emergency curfews.
In May, South Carolina activists held a vigil calling attention to black victims of gun violence. Ruffin was among those memorialized by the Columbia Branch of the NAACP, and Building Better Communities hosted “The Peace Vigil Support & Caravan” at Sidney Park CME Church.
“The narrative that people of color are more suspicious or dangerous than their white counterparts when doing normal activities must be changed,” Sidney Park CME Church Rev. James Smith said in May.
