Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says there were no reports of domestic violence leading up to the death of the woman who drove into the Broad River

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott released a statement Monday about a woman who died last week after officials say she drove a car into the Broad River.

Tierra Hamer, 23, drove her car off Omarest Drive on Wednesday after officers responded to a report from a man who said she struck him with her car. However, the details of Hamer's death are unclear due to differing statements from police officials, Hamer's family and witnesses.

What happened before Hamer’s death

Officers responded to a call from Hamer's Longcreek Drive residence Wednesday afternoon regarding a civil dispute between Hamer and a man whose name was redacted from the incident report.

The incident report states that Deputy Sheila Aull spoke with Hamer and Hamer's sister, who stated that the man had damaged her vehicle.

Hamer's family told WIS News 10 that Hamer was the victim of an abusive relationship and had been abused multiple times by her ex-boyfriend.

Neighbors who spoke to WIS News 10 said they also believed Hamer was in distress.

The incident report states that Hamer “became angry” when it became clear that officers would not arrest the man – who family members said was Hamer's ex-boyfriend.

“She was so angry because he was wrecking her car and she was yelling at him to stop,” said Helen Dow, who lives above Hamer's apartment.

Dow, a former social worker, said Hamer screamed for help several times.

“She kept screaming it,” she said.

On Thursday, WIS found a window broken and parts of her front door smashed in Hamer's apartment. This was not documented in the incident report.

While officers were at the residence on Wednesday, Hamer drove away from the residence and Deputy Aull followed her to stop her. She told Deputy Aull that she was going to hurt herself.

Hamer asked Deputy Aull if she was going to be arrested, and according to the incident report, Aull said she wanted to make sure she was OK and have EMS check her out.

According to the accident report, Hamer told Deputy Aull “very firmly” that she did not want to go and sped away from the traffic stop.

“Another RCSD unit and I began pursuing Hamer and the Region 4 supervisor advised us to discontinue the pursuit. We complied,” Aull wrote in his incident report.

However, in a media statement released Monday, Lott said that “at no time did RCSD conduct a pursuit” with Hamer's vehicle.

“Shortly thereafter,” the accident report states, another 911 call came in reporting that Hamer had struck the same man with her vehicle at 1630 Longcreek Drive. Deputy Aull responded with Cpl. R. Smith, who spoke with the man, who said Hamer “fled the area.”

In his statement Monday, Lott said a video had been obtained from third parties showing Hamer ramming the man's vehicle.

The accident report states that while Deputy Aull was speaking with the man who called 911, Cpl. R. Smith “attempted to stop Hamer, began pursuit, and shortly thereafter, Hamer drove her vehicle into the Broad River near Omarest Drive.”

Lott's statement on Monday differs from the original incident report.

“The dashboard camera then captures the deputy attempting to catch up to the vehicle to initiate a traffic stop. Less than a minute later, the video shows the deputy stating the vehicle entered the river,” Lott said.

Her body was found in the Broad River about an hour and a half later by the Richland County Sheriff's Department dive team.

Hamer's family said she fled Longcreek Drive to escape her violent ex-boyfriend. They dispute the sheriff's department's portrayal in the original incident report and in press releases that she fled from police.

Sheriff and Hamer's family have different stories about domestic violence

Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, Lott said he wanted to “correct some misinformation that has been spread by people who do not have all the facts and have chosen to speak out as experts in our field.”

Hamer's family said they feared for her life and claimed the man involved in Wednesday's incident had committed repeated acts of abuse.

However, Lott said there were only two incident reports involving Hamer and the man she was with on Wednesday.

Hamer's family claims she called for help several times before Wednesday, including once on Sunday. Lott denied this in a media statement on Monday.

“Several media reports have indicated that there was a pattern of violence involving these two individuals. This is not supported by the number of 911 calls,” his statement said. “There are additional reports involving Tierra Hamer, but also several other individuals.”

Lott's statement says his deputies were “never involved in any persecution”

The sheriff's first public press release stated that officers were “pursuing” the woman's car after being called to the scene. A second, revised press release several hours later omitted that wording, instead stating that officers were “attempting to catch up with her.”

The Sheriff's Department's Public Information Office said in an email that changes were made to public posts after reviewing the dashboard camera.

Lott's statement states that the dashboard camera showed Captain Smith attempting to catch up with Hamer and not pursuing her.

However, Lott's statement on Monday differs from what officers documented in their initial incident report, and information from that report was reported by WIS News 10.

Publication of bodycam and dashcam videos

WIS News 10 asked the sheriff's department to release the body camera and dashboard camera videos to the public because of how much public interest there is in Hamer's death. The sheriff's department said this had to be requested through the state's Freedom of Information Act.

It is important to note that under South Carolina law, sheriff's departments are not required to release bodycam videos to the public.

Lott said the reason the dashboard and body camera footage of the incident have not yet been released is out of respect for the family.

“It was an unfortunate incident that occurred last week. We have contacted the family to set up a time to show them the body and dashboard camera videos,” Lott's statement said. “The family has declined at this time as they are focused on funeral arrangements for their loved one. Out of respect for the family, we will not release them until they have had the opportunity to view them.”

Simone Martin, an attorney for Hamer's family, told WIS News 10 when asked: “The family is not commenting at this time as they are solely focused on making arrangements to honor the life of Tierra Hamer. Funeral arrangements will follow.”

Full statement from Sheriff Lott

The Richland County Sheriff's Department continues to investigate the incident that led to the death of Tierra Hamer.

It was an unfortunate incident that occurred last week. We have contacted the family to set up a time to show them the body and dashboard camera videos. The family has declined at this time as they are focused on funeral arrangements for their loved one who has passed away. Out of respect for the family, we will not release the photos until they have had a chance to view the images.

However, we would like to correct some misinformation that has been spread by people who do not have all the facts and have chosen to speak out as experts in our field.

Multiple media reports have indicated that there was a pattern of violence involving these two individuals. This is not supported by the number of 911 calls. Prior to the day of the incident, there was a 911 call in which Hamer asked officers to give her her keys back. The body camera shows the interaction, the keys being returned to her without incident, and there are no allegations of assault. The only other 911 call involving the same individual occurred on September 11, 2024. The video shows the women in the vehicle hitting the individual and attempting to turn around to hit them again. The dashcam then captures the officer attempting to catch up to the vehicle to initiate a traffic stop. Less than a minute later, the video captures the officer stating that the vehicle drove into the river. RCSD was never involved in a vehicle chase. These are the only two reports involving these two individuals.

There are other reports about Tierra Hamer, but on various other topics.

The Richland County Sheriff's Department has worked closely with Sister Care for years to assist victims of domestic violence. This is facilitated by having a Sister Care Officer located in the Sheriff's Department's Victim Assistance Services office, 1931 Pine View Drive. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please contact Victim Assistance Services at 803-576-3115 or Sister Care at 803-765-9428.

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