Video shows incident involving OIS and K-9 deployment that led to SC deputy being fired

By John Monk
The State

FLORENCE COUNTY, SC — Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye on Friday released videos from a deputy's body and dashboard camera showing him shooting an unarmed suspect while his off-leash police dog mauled an innocent homeowner.

Through an agreement with Commonwealth University, state police cadets can earn 20 credits toward a degree in criminal justice.

A public bus became stuck behind a flooded section of road; Wilton police officers and Good Samaritans carried people across the water to a train station

After terminating the $300,000 agreement with Caldwell police, the county plans to use federal funds for the private arrangement, which will cost about $210,000.

“Please use an alternate route,” the Oxford Police Department posted on X. “And no, you cannot come and help with the 'cleanup.'”

Joye said in a statement that he was releasing the videos in the interest of “openness and transparency” surrounding the controversial fatal shooting of a suspect on May 26 and the simultaneous mistreatment of an innocent man who was in the RV the suspect had entered.

The videos show former Deputy Treyvon Sellers on a high-speed chase that apparently ended in a crash, and the gruesome aftermath as Sellers pursued the fleeing driver, identified as William Rankin, on foot with his released police dog Ikar into a rural mobile home. The video then shows a dark room with the homeowner on the floor being grabbed by the police dog, and then Sellers firing five shots at a man – the apparent fugitive – in a white T-shirt on a sofa.

According to an arrest warrant in the case, Sellers pursued Rankin on East National Cemetery Road in a rural area east of the city of Florence because he was driving recklessly.

The time it takes for Sellers to jump out of his vehicle, chase Rankin down wooden steps into the RV, find him lying on a couch, and shoot him is approximately 45 seconds. Between getting out of the car and shooting Rankin, Sellers alternates between yelling at Rankin to get on the ground and yelling at the dog.

Inside the trailer, Sellers opens a closed door, does not identify himself as a police officer, and walks through a kitchen area. As he enters a dark room, he sees Rankin on a couch, tells him not to move, and then, seemingly without provocation, shoots him twice. Then, after a pause, Sellers shoots him three more times. The room is dark, and Sellers uses his flashlight.

Meanwhile, homeowner Johnny Cooper, who has been grabbed by the dog, moans in pain and begs the dog to stop.

“Help me, I live here,” Cooper cries. “Please, sir, help me. Please, God, help me! Please take the dog away from me. I didn't do anything.”

An affidavit attached to an arrest warrant in the case said Sellers gave the dog the “arrest” command without considering the risk of significant injury to another person. Cooper was mauled for about 87 seconds, the affidavit said.

Sellers, 29, has since been fired from the department. Joye called on the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Department to conduct an independent investigation.

On Wednesday, SLED charged Sellers with manslaughter for shooting 42-year-old Rankin and aggravated assault for battering 72-year-old Cooper. Sellers is currently being held in the Florence County Detention Center without bail and is also facing misdemeanor charges.

Robert E. Lee, a Florence attorney representing Cooper, said his client – who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and weighs about 100 pounds – went to the window to see what was going on when the police dog, a 90-pound Belgian Malanois, jumped into his living room.

“It sees my client standing there, recognizes him as a threat and takes him down,” said Lee, who saw the video. “My client is crying and begging him to call the dog back, and at the end he starts praying because he knows he's going to die.”

“At first, doctors thought Cooper was going to lose his left arm, but they were able to save him,” Lee said. “But they're not sure if he'll have any use of his arm left, if at all.”

The officer then gave the command, “Here! Here! Here!” and the dog began to pull Cooper instead of letting him go, Lee said.

“Nobody can blame the dog,” Lee said. “The blame lies 100 percent with the handler.”

Attorney Chaquez McCall, who represents Rankin's family, was traveling and not immediately available for comment.

The sheriff's office released the video with the knowledge and consent of the Rankin and Cooper families, a spokesman said.

Lee said Joye was upset about the situation.

“I saw him crying about it,” Lee said, adding that the sheriff wanted to get all the facts out there, no matter how uncomfortable they were. “He said, 'I'm not going to hide this and let people think I'm covering up an officer's actions.'”

—

©2024 The State. Visit www.thestate.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.