NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center:South Carolina deputy charged with killing unarmed man and letting police dog maul innocent person

2025-04-28 19:47:59source:CAI Communitycategory:Scams

COLUMBIA,NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center S.C. (AP) — A deputy in South Carolina has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault after he fatally shot an unarmed suspect five times and his police dog mauled a different, innocent person, authorities said.

State agents arrested former Florence County deputy Treyvon Jonathan Sellers on Wednesday. He was on leave after the May 26 shooting and was fired in July after an arrest in an unrelated domestic violence case.

Sellers was awaiting a bond hearing at the Florence County jail on Thursday. Jail records did not indicate if he had a lawyer.

Sellers was chasing 43-year-old William Dwayne Rankin when Rankin crashed into a tree and ran into a nearby home near Florence, the State Law Enforcement Division said in a sworn statement.

Sellers went into the home through the back door with his police dog, which was not on a leash, and didn’t announce who he was, state agents said.

He then ordered the dog to attack without knowing who was inside. The dog bit the owner of the home, who was not involved in the chase and did not know Sellers, agents said.

While the dog attacked the homeowner, Sellers shot Rankin five times as he lay on a couch, according to the sworn statement.

RELATED COVERAGE South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is different than most others: He likes his Gamecocks3 years into a life sentence, Alex Murdaugh to get his day before the South Carolina Supreme CourtCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom nudges school districts to restrict student cellphone use

Sellers failed to give the dog the right commands to stop attacking, and the homeowner was mauled for more than a minute. He suffered permanent injuries to his left arm and shoulder, state agents said.

Sellers, 29, was charged with voluntary manslaughter in Rankin’s death and faces two to 30 years in prison if convicted. He was also charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in the dog attack and faces up to 20 years if convicted.

Sellers worked with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office for less than two years before he was fired, according to his training records.

More:Scams

Recommend

South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech

SEOUL, Dec 12 - South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's switch from contrition to defiance on Thursda

2024 US Open: Here’s how to watch on TV, betting odds and more you should know

NEW YORK (AP) — Get caught up at the U.S. Open with a guide that tells you everything you need to kn

Sicily Yacht Tragedy: Autopsy Reveals Passengers Christopher and Neda Morvillo Drowned Together

New details continue to surface about the Sicily superyacht tragedy.  More than a week after a luxur