White officer gets probation for killing black man in S.C.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A white South Carolina police officer who was charged with a felony for shooting and killing a black driver at the end of a chase took a plea deal Monday and was sentenced to three years of probation.

Justin Craven, 27, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor misconduct in office, multiple media outlets reported. A prosecutor wanted the North Augusta police officer charged with voluntary manslaughter, which carries up to 30 years in prison, but a grand jury refused to indict Craven. He was later charged with a different felony.

Craven’s plea comes amid a debate over the use of force and how white police officers treat black people, fueled by high-profile incidents including the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Freddie Gray’s death after he was injured in a Baltimore police van.

The death of 68-year-old Ernest Satterwhite was captured on video from Craven’s dashboard camera. The Associated Press requested the footage nearly two years ago and eventually sued the State Law Enforcement Division, which refused to release the video until after Craven’s plea Monday.

The footage shows Craven run to Satterwhite’s car after the man stops at his home and stick a gun and both arms into the driver’s open window. A black arm is seen pushing back, and Craven pulls the weapon out of the window and fires several shots.

Craven feared for his life because Satterwhite was trying to grab his gun, Craven’s lawyer Jack Swerling said after the plea hearing.

“His mistake in judgment was approaching the car and getting too close. He had to make a split-second decision instead of like now, when everyone gets all the time they want to analyze it,” Swerling said.

Police experts recommend officers don’t charge into an unknown situation but instead stay behind cover in case a suspect is armed. No weapon was found in Satterwhite’s car. Others who have seen the video think Satterwhite might have been stunned that the officer pointed his gun at his head and just was swiping his arm in surprise.

“What he did was murder this man, and the judicial system just let him get away with it,” said state Rep. Joe Neal, a black Democrat from Hopkins who saw the video and has spent decades speaking out against racism in law enforcement and demanding accountability through data and police cameras.

A lawyer for Satterwhite’s family did not return a phone call. North Augusta paid the family nearly $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit.