A former sheriff’s deputy in South Carolina faces charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault after fatally shooting an unarmed suspect five times and allowing his police dog to attack an innocent man in the same case.
Former Florence County deputy Treyvon Jonathan Sellers, who is Black, was arrested by state law enforcement authorities on Aug. 21.
Two days after the arrest, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office released body camera footage of the shooting that killed 43-year-old William Dwayne Rankin on May 26.
Initially, the video was withheld for more than two months at the request of the victims’ families.
Deputy Sellers, 29, had been on leave since the fatal shooting, and he was fired in July following his arrest in an unrelated domestic violence case.
Last week, he was awaiting his first hearing while in custody at the Florence County jail.
Sellers faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of voluntary manslaughter, and another 20 years behind bars if found guilty of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature in connection with the K9 attack.
Back in May, Sellers was in hot pursuit of Rankin, who crashed his car into a tree and fled into a nearby home, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Sellers exited his squad car and entered the home through the back door with his off-leash police dog, state agents said. He then failed to announce himself.
He then ordered the K9 to attack without identifying who was inside. The dog attacked the homeowner, Johnny Cooper, who had nothing to do with the chase, authorities said.
As the dog mauled the homeowner, Sellers shot Rankin five times as he rested on a couch in the living room, according to investigators.
Sellers also allowed the dog to keep attacking the homeowner, resulting in the man being mauled for about 87 seconds, according to an official statement provided to CBS News.
The homeowner sustained permanent injuries resulting from bite wounds to his left arm and shoulder, state agents reported.
Florence County, S.C. Sheriff TJ Joye addressed the situation in a statement, saying he had, “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 regret and sorrow over this incident. This incident is not indicative of our values, our mission, or our training.”
The video of the harrowing chase and shooting starts with Sellers speeding down the road in pursuit of Rankin. The investigation revealed that Sellers initially attempted to pull Rankin over for suspected reckless driving before following him onto National Cemetery Road.
A little more than five minutes into the video, Sellers slammed the brakes, quickly exited the unit, and commanded his K-9, Ikar, to “Go, go!”
Moments later, Sellers and the K-9 arrive at the backdoor of a mobile home, which Sellers opens and allows the dog to run inside the residence “with reckless disregard for the substantial and unjustifiable risk of great bodily injury to another person,” the state Law Enforcement Division stated in its report.
In the video, Sellers used his flashlight and as he entered the darkened interior, he came upon the K-9 attacking Cooper, who was on the ground screaming in pain.
During the commotion, Sellers spotted Rankin lying on the couch, partially covered by what appeared to be a body cushion.
“Get on the ground,” the officer yelled, pointing his gun at Rankin while Cooper was still being mauled.
“Ikar, here. Ikar, here,” Sellers yelled repeatedly. At the same time, Rankin raised his arm and pointed in Cooper’s direction.
“If you move, I will [expletive] shoot you,” Sellers warned Rankin just before firing. The video captures two rapid shots, a brief pause, and then three more before Rankin’s body goes limp.
Still being bitten, Cooper begged for help while telling Sellers he didn’t do anything.
“Please, God, help,” Cooper repeatedly begged. “I didn’t do nothing,” Cooper pleaded before Sellers finally wrestled the dog off him.
More than seven minutes into the video, Sellers calls in for medical assistance.
“One dog bite and one shots fired,” he told the dispatcher as he held the dog by the collar. Minutes later, paramedics arrived.
Sellers pointed his flashlight at Rankin, who was bleeding out from his wounds. “The one that’s shot right there,” Sellers said. “This dude got bit. I didn’t know he was in here.”
One of the EMTs asked Rankin where he was shot, but the man didn’t respond.
Sellers eventually left the house with another deputy and placed Ikar in the back of his vehicle. Other sheriff’s deputies approached him, asking if he was OK and advising him to take a breath.
One deputy asked Sellers, “Did he have a gun?”
As Sellers starts to explain the situation, someone off camera interrupts, saying, “Mute it,” before the audio cuts off.
According to official department policy, deputies are allowed to mute their body cameras while speaking with department supervisors in the field.
In the remaining footage, Sellers recounted his version of what happened, stating that Rankin had pounded on the door before someone let him into the home.
Later, Sellers asked one of the deputies at the scene if they were waiting on state investigators to arrive.
The officer answered yes.
“You’re probably gonna talk to them today,” he told Sellers on camera. “I would advise you not to talk to them today.”
After this, he paused mid-sentence and nodded at Sellers, who then covered his body camera to mute the audio.
