Protest calling for Columbia officer’s firing will march to police station
A protest is being planned to call for the firing of a white Columbia Police Department officer who shot a Black man in the back of the head after an altercation following a traffic stop.
Lawrence Nathaniel, an organizer of the demonstrations that rose up after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, called for the latest protest. “It’s time for the City of Columbia to actually follow their policy and hold this officer accountable,” he said.
Protesters will assemble Thursday near the Richland Library on Assembly Street at 4 p.m. and head to the Columbia Police Department headquarters on Washington Street, according to Nathaniel. They plan to be there until 10:30 p.m., he said.
Protesters are calling for officer Sean Rollins to be fired.
In August, Rollins shot 29-year-old Brandon Legette in the back of the head following a traffic stop. Police say that after Legette refused to get out of the car, the encounter escalated into a scuffle between the two. With Rollins at least partially inside the car — police say partially, Legette’s attorney says the officer was completely inside — the vehicle crashed into an embankment near the Food Lion parking lot on Broad River Road. Legette survived the shooting.
Legette’s lawyer, Marc Brown, contends in a civil suit that the officer had the situation under control when the car crashed and that Legette was not resisting arrest. Brown called Rollins shooting an “attempted execution.”
The Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office found that Rollins’ shooting was justified and did not bring criminal charges against the officer.
Rollins is currently a patrol officer for the police department, according to a department spokesperson.
“As we’ve stated before, we encourage and support peaceful assemblies that express concerns within the confines of the law,” the spokesperson said. The department “will assist in any way to ensure the safety of the protesters and the public.”
The protest will also call for an investigation into Rollins for what Nathaniel and others say is a violation of the police department’s use-of-force policy.
A petition calling for Rollins’ firing claims that he indiscriminately fired less-lethal shotgun ammunition into a crowd of protesters on May 31, violating the department’s policy.
The petition includes video of a Columbia Police Department officer on Gervais Street firing the less-lethal rounds toward the State House grounds after people threw water bottles at a group of officers.
The petition has about 500 signatures as of Wednesday midday.
Protests in Columbia on May 30-31 resulted in clashes between police and some protesters. On May 30, what started as a peaceful protest at the State House turned violent after marchers arrived at the Columbia Police Department headquarters. Three police cars were set on fire and multiple area businesses were damaged.
On May 31, police in riot gear stopped protesters who were again heading for the police department. Police used tear gas and less-than-lethal weapons to stop the crowd. Marchers said their protest was peaceful and the confrontation was instigated by police.
“We come in peace and should not be met by force,” Nathaniel said about Thursday’s protest.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 1:35 PM.