Charleston And Myrtle Beach Families Want Answers In Wrongful Death Cases

The cases of wrongful deaths in South Carolina and the Coastal communities are seeing more than their fair share of families questioning the actions of local and state law enforcement. In Myrtle Beach, a state Trooper is being charged with the wrongful death of Tristan Vereen. The family of a Charleston man serving time in a Florida prison is suing after he dies just before release. Davon Gillians, 22, died while incarcerated at FCI Coleman in Sumter County in May 2021, the lawsuit says.

Tristan Vereen

National civil rights attorney, Harry Daniels, and his co-counsel Chantel Cherry-Lassiter release the following statement surrounding the shooting death of Tristan Vereen by State Trooper Whitney Blake Benton on September 11, 2021 in Horry County, S.C.

Tristan Vereen, a 33-year-old black man, was fatally wounded after he was illegally stopped and illegally arrested by State Trooper Whitney Blake (W.B.) Benton of the S.C. Highway Patrol. Trooper Benton initiated a traffic stop on Mr. Vereen due to a cracked windshield. Notably, a vehicle with a cracked windshield in the State of South Carolina, is not a traffic violation according to South Carolina law Section 56- 5-5000.

After Mr. Vereen refused to stop his vehicle, Trooper Benton pursued Mr. Vereen in violation of South Carolina Department of Public Safety Pursuant Policy 300.02.

South Carolina Department of Public Safety Pursuant Policy 300.02. reads:

V. VEHICLE PURSUIT [41.2.2 (a-b)]

A. A pursuit is justified only when the necessity of the apprehension of a suspect outweighs the risks created by the pursuit or the officer has reasonable grounds to believe the suspect poses a clear and immediate threat to others.B. The decision to pursue shall lie with the Primary Pursuit Officer. The Primary Pursuit Officer shall also evaluate and determine whether to continue a pursuit unless otherwise instructed by the Pursuit Supervisor to terminate the pursuit. [41.2.2 ( c )(g)(i)]

C. The Primary Pursuit Officer must consider the following circumstances and conditions before initiating a pursuit, and during a pursuit to determine if the pursuit should be continued: [ 41.2.2 ( c )]

1. the seriousness of the original offense that led to the pursuit;

“Mr. Vereen is dead today because an incompetent law enforcement officer (Benton) created a perilous situation by initiating an unlawful traffic stop then pursing Mr. Vereen for a crack windshield in violation of South Carolina Department of Public Safety Pursuant Policy 300.02. The crack in the windshield did not pose a clear and immediate threat to others and a cracked windshield is not a serious offense that would justify a pursuit per the policy.”

Davon Gillians

A federal lawsuit has been filed against correction officers at the Federal Correctional Institution Coleman in Florida after the death of an inmate from Charleston, South Carolina.

More than nine months later, Robert Conyers, Jr., Gillians’ father, demands answers. “We refuse to sit back any longer while the prison leaders refuse to meet with us and the government refuses to provide us with any answers,” Conyers said in the release from his attorneys. “My son made a mistake and was serving his time just like our justice system requires, but that doesn’t mean they get to punish him beyond what the law allows. My son was killed and we must hold those responsible accountable.”

According to court documents obtained by McClatchy News, Gillians ”suffered from sickle cell disease requiring daily prescription medication.” On May 16, 2021, corrections officers physically removed Gillians from his cell before punching him and choking him, causing him to briefly lose consciousness, documents say. Despite being compliant, Gillians was strapped in a restraint chair where he remained in solitary confinement from 24 to 48 hours — with no food, water or medication, the lawsuit says.

On May 18, 2021, Gillians was escorted to a new cell with another inmate, according to the lawsuit. Officers were reportedly instructed not to place any inmates in a cell with the other inmate due to his mental health issues and tendency for violence. According to court documents, officers placed Gillians with the inmate as a “form of punishment.” Shortly after, the lawsuit says, Gillians was physically attacked by the other inmate. He was in “clear medical distress” after the fighting and asking for water, but his request was denied. He was put back in solitary confinement after the fight with still no food, water or medication, the lawsuit says. Gillians’ condition worsened, and inmates said they could hear him “pleading for food, and stating that he could not feel his legs, had urinated on himself, and was concerned he was going to die,” documents say.

During the night of May 18 going into May 19, 2021, Gillians’ medical condition worsened, and he was rushed to the emergency room at a local hospital, the lawsuit says.

When you add the above cases to presend cases in Hemmingway, South Carolina, Columbia, South Caroline, Orangeburg, South Carolina, Anderson, South Carolina and other cases across the state some in the Black community are wondering is this the continuing pattern of lack of respect for Black lives is headed back to the days of “Jim Crow”