The York County Sheriff’s Office is being sued by a man from Rock Hill who was shot by officers but lived.
In May of 2021, police shot Trevor Mullinax several times when they went to a house off Highway 324 to check on his well-being. Investigators were at the scene when the Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over. From above, they could see shooting holes in a Ford F-150.
Mullinax said that he was shot at almost 50 times as he sat in his truck and thought about killing himself. A new dash cam film shows the moment when the sheriff’s office arrived. Mullinax’s mom was talking to him for three hours from the driver’s side of the truck. In just a few seconds, a video shows officers shooting at Mullinax. In the claim, he says that he was shot nine times, including once in the back of the head.
Someone else in the family called 911.
The caller said, “He’s been saying that his son would be better off without him and that there’s no point. Now he’s locked himself in his truck with a knife.” “I say that because I don’t want him to jump out and get shot, but I don’t know if that’s his plan.”
In the video, Trevor’s mother jumps out of the way when shots are fired. On Tuesday, she told the media that she never thought the people she thought would protect her son would shoot at her. She was sure Trevor had died.
Mullinax was hurt, so he was taken to a hospital in Charlotte. There were shots fired, but no officers were hurt.
When the first shot was fired, officers said that Mullinax had a gun in his truck. Mullinax’s lawyers said that he had a shooting shotgun, but he never showed it to anyone or said he would use it. After SLED looked into the killing, the officers were not charged with any crimes. The family’s lawyers say they don’t know if any of the deputies were held responsible for the killing.
“May is Mental Health Awareness Month,” said Trevor. “I hate that I have to be the public face of it.”
The claim says that the sheriff’s office and York County were very careless. The lawsuit says that the cops didn’t do enough to calm things down. Mullinax is claiming that he has suffered mental, physical, and legal pain.
The tweet below confirms the news:
NEW: York County Sheriff responds: “Mr. Mullinax chose to put these men in danger by pulling a shotgun. Deputies responded appropriately to the threat. Had Mr. Mullinax made different choices that day, deputies would not have been required to use force.” https://t.co/PqLZ5Rl3ZW
— Genevieve Curtis (@GenevieveonTV) May 9, 2023
When Channel 9 asked the YCSO about the lawsuit, a representative said on Tuesday that the sheriff’s office hadn’t been given the case yet.
The sheriff’s office told Channel 9 that “the matter was investigated by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division independently, and all of the deputies involved were cleared of any wrongdoing.”
York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson sent the following statement to Channel 9 on Tuesday: “I tell all of my deputies that their goal is to serve the citizens of York County and then to go home safely to their families. Mr. Mullinax chose to put these men in danger by pulling a shotgun. These deputies responded appropriately to the threat as they were trained to do. Had Mr. Mullinax made different choices that day, deputies would not have been required to use force. Our ultimate goal is to ensure the safety of the public and our deputies. Regardless of the outcome of this lawsuit, we want to reassure our residents that we will continue to provide high-quality and professional law enforcement service.”
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The sheriff’s office says that three of the four deputies involved in the event are still working, while the fourth left voluntarily to take another job.
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