‘We want answers’: Family of Chester SC man killed by police seeking video, witnesses
The family of a Chester man, who was fatally shot by police outside a store last month, wants answers about the incident.
Ariane Lamont McCree, 28, died Nov. 23 when he was shot by officers outside a Walmart in Chester, S.C., officials said.
McCree’s parents said at a news conference Monday that police have not told them any details about the shooting.
Police in earlier reports said McCree pulled a gun on officers. McCree had been shoplifting, was placed in custody, then fled and showed a gun, police said.
Many people attended Monday’s news conference outside the Chester Police Department, including several who wore shirts that showed McCree’s picture.
Michael McCree, Ariane McCree’s father, said the family should get answers from Chester police and South Carolina state police agents investigating the death. The family also would like to speak to witnesses at the store who may have seen what happened before the shooting, and at the time his son died, Michael McCree said.
“If anybody knows anything about my son, come forth and let us know,” McCree said at the news conference. “There was a lot of people out there at the Walmart. It hurts not knowing anything about your son’s death. We just want some answers, good or bad.”
Michael McCree and his wife, Vickie, said Chester police have not met with the family since. The family also said they have not received information from police about the claim made by law enforcement that Ariane McCree pulled a gun.
“They are not telling us anything,” Vickie McCree said.
Chester Police Department Chief Eric Williams said Monday after the news conference he reached out to the family last week but has not heard back from them.
State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Tommy Crosby confirmed the agency is investigating the shooting but has released no other information. SLED also have not released any bodycam or dashcam videos.
In a statement Nov. 26, Williams said two officers from the department encountered a shoplifting suspect later identified as McCree.
“Upon initial contact, the suspect was detained and placed into custody,” Williams said.
McCree attacked one of the officers and ran, then pulled a gun, Williams said in the statement on Nov. 26.
“While in custody the suspect physically assaulted one of the officers and fled Walmart on foot,” Williams said in the statement. “During the foot pursuit, the suspect presented a firearm, resulting in two officers with the Chester Police Department discharging their firearms.”
Williams declined to discuss any further details about the shooting Monday, including how McCree was able to flee from custody and if McCree had been searched..
“SLED is investigating the incident,” Williams said.
The National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by Rev. Al Sharpton, is involved in seeking information in the incident, said Elder James Johnson of Charleston. Johnson is the South Carolina president of the National Action Network.
At the news conference, Johnson said the family, and the public, deserve to know if McCree was searched while in custody and whether McCree was in handcuffs.
“(The police) said they detained him,” Johnson said. “If so, they should have searched him. Was he handcuffed?”
The National Action Network also is trying to get police videos, Walmart store surveillance video, witness statements, and other items, Johnson said. The National Action Network has hired a lawyer to get the videos from SLED and Chester police, Johnson said.
That lawyer, Colin Ram of Charleston, was at the news conference but declined to comment.
Ariane McCree was a graduate of Chester High School and Jackson State University in Mississippi, his family said. He played linebacker on the football team at Jackson State, according to family and school officials.
The shooting was the 44th officer involved shooting in South Carolina in 2019, Crosby said.
Chester County has not had a shooting involving an officer since February 2018 when a drug suspect was fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies and Chester city police. That 2018 shooting was ruled justified by the S.C. Attorney General’s Office.
Check back for updates on this story.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 2:47 PM.
