Grand jury won’t indict officer who shot at car
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A grand jury has refused to bring an attempted murder charge against a South Carolina police officer who stepped in front of a car driven by a teen, and then fired seven shots at the vehicle as it drove away.
Prosecutors sought the indictment against Forest Acres police officer Robert Cooper last week. The decision by a grand jury to refuse to sign an indictment is rare in South Carolina. One defence attorney estimates it happens in less than 1 per cent of cases.
The one-page document filed by April 12 by Solicitor Dan Johnson gives no reason why authorities thought Cooper should be charged in the May 19 shooting.
Cooper was checking on a loud noise complaint in the suburb about 5 miles (8 km) east of downtown Columbia when 17-year-old Antwon Gallmon jumped from the passenger seat of a car into the driver’s seat and began to drive off.