An unarmed 19-year-old male was shot and killed by a police officer in South Carolina, but unlike other cases, this did not spark public outcry because the victim was white, a lawyer said.
Zachary Hammond was shot during a drug bust at a Hardee's parking lot in Seneca on July 26. He was driving the car with his girlfriend, Tori Morton, the actual target of the two police officers who stopped them.
Morton was arrested for possession of 10 grams of marijuana during the bust.
The Hammond family's lawyer, Eric Bland, lamented that there is no public outcry about Zachary's death because of race.
"It's sad, but I think the reason is, unfortunately, the media and our government officials have treated the death of an unarmed white teenager differently than they would have if this were a death of an unarmed black teen," said Bland, according to The Washington Post.
"The hypocrisy that has been shown toward this is really disconcerting," the lawyer said. "The issue should never be what is the colour of the victim. The issue should be: Why was an unarmed teen gunned down in a situation where deadly force was not even justified?"
The Seneca Police Department released the name of the police officer involved in the shooting after Freedom of Information requests were made.
Seneca Police Chief John Covington identified the shooter as Lt. Mark Tiller, according to Fox New Carolina.
Tiller was a victim of attempted murder, according to the police.
He has 10 years experience as a law enforcer and has been with the Seneca Police Department since 2010.
"During this time he has had no disciplinary personnel actions," said Covington.
Tiller's attorney, John Mussetto, said the police officer fired a round after Hammond accelerated the car towards the officer's direction.
"Upon arrival with blue lights activated, Lieutenant Tiller ordered Mr. Hammond to show Lieutenant Tiller his hands, which were concealed. Rather than abide by this order, Mr. Hammond rapidly accelerated in the direction of Lieutenant Tiller, forcing the lieutenant to push off of Mr. Hammond's car to keep from being struck and run over," Mussetto said.
Mussetto claimed that because of the threat to Tiller and to the public, he fired two shots.
"If not for Lieutenant Tiller's quick reflexes and his ability to push off of the car, Lieutenant Tiller would have easily been run over by Mr. Hammond. A white powdery substance consistent with powder cocaine was found by the coroner on Mr. Hammond's person and was taken as evidence by SLED. Since this incident, Lieutenant Tiller has cooperated with SLED agents and the 10th Circuit Solicitor's Office," the lawyer said.
The Hammond family released the results of a private autopsy that showed that the bullets entered Hammond's body from the back with one piercing his lungs and heart.
Coroner Karl Addis said he does not know the position of Hammond's body when he was shot.
