SC AG asks U.S. attorney to review fatal shooting of Black man by Chester police
South Carolina’s Attorney General has asked federal prosecutors to review the case where Chester police officers fatally shot a Black man in the parking lot of a local Walmart.
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson said he made the formal request late Saturday, a day after Chester police released bodycam video of the November 2019 shooting of Ariane McCree.
Derek Shoemake, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina, declined comment. Shoemake said federal prosecutors could not confirm the existence of any federal investigation.
Wilson’s office said in March the officers were acting to defend themselves and others in the parking lot when McCree was killed. Chester police and State Law Enforcement Division agents have said in investigative documents that McCree, despite being handcuffed behind his back, had escaped custody and had a gun pointed at police when he was shot.
Wilson issued the following statement:
“Our office studied the video evidence and reviewed witnesses’ statements that were in the report provided to us by (State Law Enforcement Division) and concluded that Mr. McCree was pointing a gun at police, which put their lives and innocent bystanders in danger. This led our office to the conclusion that the shooting was justified, but because of continued questions from his family and the community and in the interest of full transparency, we’re asking another outside agency to review the case and our findings.”
Wilson said in the statement his office does have concerns about the public perception of how police shootings are reviewed, so he asked for a federal review.
“This was a tragic ending to what should have been a simple arrest for shoplifting,” Wilson said in the statement. “However, when Mr. McCree was pointing a gun at officers, they acted to defend themselves and everyone else in that parking lot. This office is concerned about the perceptions many people throughout South Carolina and the country have about the law enforcement community. That is why we have been as transparent as possible.”
The S.C. attorney general prosecutors met with McCree’s family and their lawyers in March when the decision was made not to prosecute.
“We’re requesting that an additional outside agency review everything in hopes that doing so will answer any questions or concerns the family and community have,” Wilson said.
The McCree case has garnered renewed interest in the past two weeks after the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in Minnesota at the hands of police. Floyd’s death sparked protests and rallies across America, including two rallies in Chester.
McCree’s family and others in Chester, along with civil rights advocates, have questioned the decision by police to shoot McCree during the incident in the parking lot of a Walmart store.
Rev. Earl Stringfellow, McCree’s uncle, said at a public rally June 4 the police did not have to shoot McCree. Other Chester civil rights and community activists have said the shooting never should have happened.
The Chester police video released Friday morning to The Herald shows an officer with his gun drawn approaching McCree. The video also shows the shooting, and officers later removing a gun from the suspect’s body. There also are enhanced photos that show the gun in the suspect’s possession.
McCree, 28, who was handcuffed with his hands behind his back at the time of the shooting, died in the Nov. 23 incident.
Much of the incident was captured on police bodycam video, dashcam video and store video. Chester Police Department Chief Eric Williams released the bodycam video after The Herald and others asked that the video be made public.
Williams said McCree had been handcuffed inside the store with his hands behind him. Williams said McCree then ran out of the store after assaulting an officer. In the parking lot, McCree assaulted an officer a second time, then went to his vehicle where he obtained a gun, Williams said.
McCree brought his hands around his side and pointed the gun at the officer while advancing toward the officer, Williams said. The officer then fired at McCree, Williams said.
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 12:50 PM.
