Dept. of Justice Contines to Investigate Spartanburg Sheriff Killing of Aaron Gray

Unarmed Black Man Gunned Down

It turns out two Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Deputies who were cleared in the shooting of a suspect earlier this month aren’t off the hook just yet. Back in February 2005, two narcotics officers shot and killed Aaron Clark Gray during a drug sting in Boiling Springs. About two weeks ago the SC Attorney General’s Office said a state and federal review of those officers was over, but the US Department of Justice says that’s not the case. The confusion started March 2, when the spokesman for the Attorney General said state prosecutors would not pursue criminal charges against Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Narcotics Officers, Chris Raymond and Glen Stewart. The spokesman says the announcement came after the federal decision not to take action in the case. But, a federal civil rights review is still open, and the Department of Justice says miscommunication between departments is responsible for the mix-up. The State maintains they received information that the federal review was to be closed and were not aware of any changes by the Department of Justice. The two officers say Gray tried to run them over with his car and they were acting in self defense, the state found the shooting justified. However, Gray’s family and friends say he was unarmed and his car wasn’t headed in the officers’ direction. The officers fired more than 14 shots at Gray. The Rev. Jesse Jackson criticized the officers' actions in 2005 during a visit to Spartanburg, saying the shooting was racially motivated because Gray was black. State Rep. Karl Allen, a Greenville attorney who represents Gray's mother, said he was confident a proper federal review would show the officers used excessive force. [more] and [more]