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A prosecutor in South Carolina said Wednesday he will not charge police Officer Kevin Davis who shot and killed a black teen in April, after the teen allegedly pointed a gun at the officer.
A resident reported suspicious activity in their neighborhood the night of April 8. Josh Ruffin, 17, was found with other youths out during COVID-19 shutdown hours, in an area that had reported higher-than-usual crime rates.
Josh was found to be an “immediate threat to the safety of the officers and others when he stopped during the chase and pointed a gun at Columbia police Officer Kevin Davis,” Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson said at a press conference Wednesday.
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Ruffin’s family lawyer, state Rep. Todd Rutherford, said he had viewed the body camera footage and found no evidence in the blurry video that Josh pointed a gun at the officer, adding they would have liked to see the officer charged.
“There is no joy in this room having this conversation,” Gipson, a black man said, after addressing historical racial injustices between black people and white police officers.
Gipson proceeded to describe how Ruffin ran away from Davis, who did not have his gun in hand as he pursued the teen.
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The video reportedly showed Ruffin stop and pick up what Gipson described as a .45 caliber pistol. The officer then drew his gun, according to Gipson, and demanded the teen put down the weapon.
Ruffin runs out of the video frame after one shot was fired at him.
He was killed by a shot to the forehead after nine shots were fired, according to Gipson.
“We can’t tell you what Ruffin’s intentions were. But he was armed. He pointed the gun at the officer and he tried to evade the officer,” Gipson said.
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Davis remains on administrative leave as the department reviews his actions.
“It’s a heavy burden that he carries for the rest of his life,” Columbia police Chief Skip Holbrook said Wednesday, calling the incident a tragedy.
Ruffin's shooting has been brought up at several Black Lives Matter rallies following the death of George Floyd in police custody, with demonstrators yelling “Justice for Josh!”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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