VIDEO: SC Officer Cleared in Fatal Shooting of Man Who Tried to Grab Rifle from Patrol Car
A Pendleton, SC, police officer has been cleared in the shooting death of a man who attempted to grab the rifle from his patrol car.
CorporalĀ John Marano canĀ return to work after a four-month state probe into his April 3 shooting of Jose Antonio Hernandez. Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division found no criminal intent on Maranoās part.
āCorporal Maranoās assertion that Mr. Hernandez reached for the rifle (mounted in Maranoās patrol vehicle) was corroborated by the presence of Mr. Hernandezās DNA on the rifleās magazine and trigger,ā according to Stumboās report, issued Monday by town officials. āToxicology reports showed the presence of Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Amphetamine, Cocaine and Methadone in Mr. Hernandezās system.ā
Stumboās statement and video of the incident show that Marano gave Hernandez multiple warnings before firing his weapon, the Independent Mail reports.
āThe events immediately preceding the shooting are critical to this analysis: When Mr. Hernandez approached Officer Maranoās vehicle, Officer Marano backed away to create distance and to avoid a physical confrontation,ā Strumbo wrote. āOfficer Marano then gave clear verbal commands, ordering Mr. Hernandez to get on the ground. When Mr. Hernandez disobeyed these commands, Officer Marano deployed his Taser in an attempt to prevent Mr. Hernandez from gaining control of the marked patrol vehicle.ā
The camera footage then shows that Marano fired multiple gunshots as Hernandez tried to drive away.
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