Police Lieutenant Mark Tiller of the Seneca Police Department in South Carolina, who shot and killed a teenager who was seated in his car outside a fast food restaurant earlier this year, will not be facing criminal charges, a prosecutor said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
On July 26, 19-year-old Zachary Hammond died after he was shot by Tiller through the open window of his car.
Tiller said he opened fire at the teenager, because he drove his Honda Civic directly at the officer after they asked him to put his hands on the steering wheel during a stop that was part of a drug sting operation.
The case has drawn outrage in some quarters after Hammond's autopsy indicated that the victim had been shot from the side and the back and through the window of his car. Dashboard camera footage of the incident, released on Tuesday, also shows Hammond being shot from the side, according to The New York Times.
"After careful consideration of the facts of the case, a thorough review of the state investigation, and an extensive review of all applicable law, I have determined that no criminal charges should be filed against Lt. Mark Tiller at the state level," Tenth Circuit Solicitor Chrissy Adams said, according to The State.
"The evidence from this investigation corroborates and supports Lieutenant Tiller's belief that he was going to be run over. Therefore, the only conclusion that can be rendered is that deadly force was justified."
Erick Bland, the attorney representing Hammond's parents said he did not agree with the prosecutor's decision, adding the officer never gave Hammond the opportunity to put his hands up. The shooting is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice, as HNGN previously reported.
Watch the dash-cam footage of the shooting below:
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO IS GRAPHIC IN NATURE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
