Monthslong child image probe before Fort Mill man killed by police, warrant shows
A Fort Mill man killed by police Tuesday had been under investigation for months on allegations of downloading child sexual abuse materials, according to a search warrant obtained by The Herald.
Yves Venne, 74, died at a hospital after two Rock Hill officers assigned to a county task force shot him at the Sycamore Apartments, according to South Carolina state police. The State Law Enforcement Division said Venne had a tire iron when he was shot.
At least seven officers were present, and there is police body camera footage of the shooting, but police have declined to release it.
Sex crime probe started in February
Deputies from the York County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit started investigating Venne in February after receiving a cybertip about downloaded photos of minor children, the search warrant alleges.
Investigators connected the downloads to Venne through email and phone records that included a picture of Venne, according to the warrant. Deputies matched the picture of Venne with DMV records and also knew of him from two previous investigations, the warrant states.
On May 26, a judge signed the search warrant submitted by York County investigators, giving police authority to search Venne’s electronics, apartment and car.
Then on Tuesday, as officers were serving the search warrant, Venne was shot by the two Rock Hill officers.
Police seized a tablet, cellphone and other electronics, the warrant shows. Although officials have not said how many officers were there when the warrant was served and Venne was shot, the search warrant shows seven officers witnessed the collection of Venne’s electronics.
What about body camera footage?
The task force there Tuesday includes officers from the sheriff’s office and police departments in Rock Hill, York, Clover, Fort Mill, and Tega Cay. It is unclear how many officers there were wearing body cameras, although Rock Hill police confirmed to The Herald that its officers assigned to the unit wear body cameras.
Rock Hill police told The Herald the department will not publicly release the footage from Tuesday’s shooting or identify the two officers.
South Carolina open records laws exclude body camera footage, but police agencies and prosecutors can release the footage publicly if they choose.
It is unclear how long the State Law Enforcement investigation into the shooting will take. Investigations of police shootings often take months before reports are submitted to prosecutors for review.
