Columbia, SC — A South Carolina deputy has been charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault after he shot an unarmed suspect five times, killing him, and the deputy’s police dog mauled another, innocent person, authorities said.
State agents arrested former Deputy Representative Treyvon Jonathan Sellers in Florence County 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 in the Florence County Jail on Thursday. Jail records did not show if he had an attorney.
Florence County (South Carolina) Detention Center
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 entered the home through the back door with his police dog, which was off leash, and did not announce who he was, state agents said.
He then ordered the dog to attack, not knowing who was inside. The dog bit the owner of the home, who was not involved in the chase and did not know the sellers, agents said. Florence County, SC Sheriff TJ Joye identified the homeowner as Johnny Cooper.
While the dog attacked the homeowner, Sellers shot Rankin five times as he lay on a couch, according to the affidavit.
Sellers failed to give the dog the proper commands to stop attacking and the homeowner was mauled for about 87 seconds, the statement said, according to CBS Florence, SC affiliate WBTW-TV. 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.
Joye said in a statement on Wednesday that he “has personally met with the families of Mr Rankin and Mr Cooper where I have been as candid and transparent as I know how, and I have expressed my deep remorse and sadness over this incident. This incident is not a sign of our values, our mission or our education.”