COLUMBIA — South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson requested federal prosecutors review a fatal police shooting after body cam video released this week showed officers gunning down 28-year-old Ariane McCree while he was in handcuffs.
Wilson has declined to press charges against the two Chester police officers involved: Nicholas Harris and Justin Baker. But he asked for an additional review by the U.S. Attorney's Office on Saturday in the wake of continued outcry from the piney Chester community of 5,400 between Columbia and Charlotte.
After video of the November incident first surfaced on Thursday, McCree's family called for the officers involved to be fired and criminally charged.
Wilson declined to bring charges in March after accepting the findings of a State Law Enforcement Division investigation, which found some witnesses who said McCree pointed a gun at the officers while he was handcuffed.
Once McCree raised his gun, the officers were lawfully defending themselves and others by opening fire, Wilson concluded.
"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 a statement on Saturday.
There was no immediate word if U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy had opened an inquiry. A spokesman for Wilson said McCoy's office had indicated they were willing to review the case. An attorney for the McCree family could also not be reached for comment.
Either way, the family of McCree, a former standout football player at Chester High School, maintain the release of the video leaves many unanswered questions.
For one, it does not clearly show McCree pointing his gun at officers. It shows what appears to be a silver object, possibly McCree’s gun, near his right side.
The video also shows Baker opening fire from across the Walmart parking lot, about eight cars away.
The video, which was first published by the Chester News & Reporter, lacks audio in important moments because Baker activated his body camera only after the shooting began.
After McCree collapses, the video does show an officer recovering a pistol, which SLED investigators later determined McCree had purchased from a pawnshop.
At a news conference on Friday, McCree's family decried the use of force by Chester police over what officers said began as a shoplifting incident. McCree had taken a $45.87 door handle from the store without paying earlier that morning, according to SLED's investigation.
“If it’s true, it’s not worth his life,” said Charlie Stringfellow, McCree's grandfather. “People steal at Walmart every day."
In his statement Saturday, Wilson acknowledged those concerns.
“This was a tragic ending to what should have been a simple arrest for shoplifting,” he said. But he maintained that officers were within their rights to defend themselves.
Wilson's decision Saturday also comes in the wake of the country's weeks of protests against police brutality in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police.
"This office is concerned about the perceptions many people throughout South Carolina and the country have about the law enforcement community," Wilson said. "That is why we have been as transparent as possible ... Now, 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.”