Man in underwear gets in patrol car, shot by officer
WARNING – SOME MAY CONSIDER VIDEO GRAPHIC
PENDLETON, SC (WSPA) – A man was shot and killed after police say he charged a Pendleton officer and refused commands to stop. The officer in that shooting has been cleared and is back on duty.
According to the Anderson County Coroner’s Office, the man is 46-year-old Jose Antonio Hernandez. The coroner said Hernandez was shot four times including a fatal shot to the neck.
The shooting happened just after 7 p.m. April 3 near Poplar Street and Woodland Circle.
Pendleton Police Chief Doyle Burdette said the officer was responding to a domestic incident when he encountered Hernandez in the road. He says Hernandez charged at the officer and refused commands to stop before the officer shot him at least once.
The coroner says Hernandez, who was wearing only underwear, was combative and Tased after witnesses said the officer told him to get down and he did not comply.
After being Tased, the coroner says the suspect got into the police car and the officer fired several shots. The police car then rolled backwards and hit a tree.
The solicitor’s office found the officer used appropriate force and Hernandez was trying to get a rifle out of the patrol car.
Toxicology also showed Hernandez had several drugs in his system.