Lawsuits filed in SC deputy fatal shooting case where K9 mauled bystander

Editor’s note: The video attached to this story shows parts of the car chase and entry into the mobile home. To watch the full vehicle chase video, click here. To see the full video from inside the mobile home, click here. The videos are graphic.

The fatal shooting of an unarmed, non-resisting man by a patrol deputy and the simultaneous attack by the deputy’s K9 on an innocent bystander have led to the filing of two lawsuits in state civil court against the Florence County Sheriff’s Office. 

In one lawsuit, filed July 22 in Florence County state court, Johnny Cooper, an elderly man, has sued the sheriff’s office for a K9 attack on him in his own home by a K9 Belgian Malinois named Ikar under the control of former deputy Treyvon Sellers.

In the other lawsuit, filed July 16 also in Florence County, the brother of William Rankin, who had run into Cooper’s mobile home, has also sued, alleging that the shooting of his brother by Sellers was unprovoked and his brother was lying down with his hands raised in surrender when he was fatally shot five times.

The sheriff’s office has not filed a response to the lawsuits.

After the May 2024 incident, Sellers was placed on administrative leave from his $54,401-a-year job. 

Sheriff T. J. Joye requested a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation.

Last August, SLED arrested Sellers and charged him with voluntary manslaughter, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and misconduct in office. Sellers was fired. 

His criminal case is pending in Florence County criminal court, and he is represented by veteran Florence attorney Rose Mary Parham, a former federal prosecutor. 

Of all the numerous officer involved shootings in South Carolina — around several dozen each year — this is a relatively rare case where an officer was actually charged with a crime. 

Joye said publicly he was shocked at the incident, which was captured on Sellers’ body camera. The video was made public by law enforcement and clearly shows some or all of the events that took place, including the shooting and the mauling.

“I have personally met with the families of Mr. Rankin and Mr. Cooper where I have been as candid and transparent as I know how, and I have expressed my deep regret and sorrow over this incident. Our office and our officers are held to a high standard,” Joye said in a public statement in August 2024 after Sellers’ arrest.

“This incident is not indicative of our values, our mission or our training,” the sheriff said. “As your sheriff, I stand for doing the right thing for our citizens regardless of the circumstances.”

The deadly incident happened in daylight hours on May 26, 2024, when Sellers — who had stopped to write a ticket — saw Rankin drive past him at what Sellers thought was a high rate of speed.

With blue lights flashing, Sellers gave chase, following Rankin from the city of Florence out into a rural area, where Rankin stopped his car and ran into a mobile home. Sellers pulled into the property and jumped out with his police dog, his body cam video shows.

Sellers and the dog quickly entered the residence, and the shooting and the mauling took place within a minute afterwards.

The Rankin and Coopers lawsuits allege, among other points:

▪ That the K9 had a history of overly aggressive behavior. 

▪ That neither Rankin nor Cooper acted aggressively toward the officer or K9 Ikar.

▪ That Sellers was neither properly trained as a patrol deputy before the event nor adequately supervised during the incident. 

The Rankin lawsuit was brought by Parker Law Group lawyers Ashley Nance and Neil Alger, both of Florence, and Florence lawyers Linwood Edwards and Chaquez McCall.

“This lawsuit is being brought in order to seek justice for Wiliam Rankin,” said Nance, “not only for William Rankin himself, whose life was tragically cut short, but for the loved ones he leaves behind.”

Cooper’s lawsuit was brought by North Myrtle Beach attorneys Kenneth Moss and George Spirakis and Marion attorney Robert E. Lee.

Lee said that Cooper and Rankin knew each other, and that Rankin, 43, helped Cooper, who is in his 70s, with groceries and errands from time to time. In turn, Cooper let Rankin sleep on his couch. 

Cooper “was an innocent bystander. They (the deputy) came looking for him; he didn’t go looking for them,” Lee said. “Our complaint kind of says it all.”

Heather Weiss, a prosecutor with S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office, is handling the criminal case against Sellers. The attorney general’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 5:30 AM.