FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Florence Mayor Stephen Wukela says the city will release video footage of a weekend traffic stop that resulted in a constable firing eight shots at a man who refused to get out of the vehicle.
In a news conference Tuesday afternoon, the mayor said he and two other city council members have viewed the body camera and dash cam video which “speaks for itself,” and following the meeting, each media agency was to be given access to the video.
Mayor Wukela said the video was “troubling,” but could not comment further on whether the constable followed Florence police policies.
Following the shooting, Mayor Wukela said the City of Florence is not responsible for the constable’s actions; however, SLED policy on the use of constables says otherwise. A portion of the policy is below:
“An agency requesting the assistance of a State Constable is fully liable and responsible for the supervision and actions of the constable and for injuries to, or damages resulting from, actions by the constable.”
The SLED application for Group III constables, which the constable involved in the shooting was, defines the purpose of the position.
“A Group III state constable commission is issued for the sole purpose of enabling a citizen who has the proper training to volunteer assistance to requesting law enforcement departments when specifically approved by SLED. State constable commissions are not issued to merely enable a citizen to carry firearms or to engage in independent law enforcement activity. Approval of this application requires that you have made arrangements to assist the police and sheriff’s departments listed herein and that the chief of police or sheriff has requested your assistance.”
The shooting occurred Saturday night during a traffic stop on Waverly Avenue near Sunset Drive. The constable was working with a Florence police officer, but the police officer didn’t fire their gun, the city said in a press release.
The constable, identified by the mayor as Christopher Bachochin, has worked with the police department “periodically” for the past four years, the city said. Bachochin was riding in the patrol vehicle with Florence Police Officer Edward Sieban when the traffic stop was initiated.
12th circuit solicitor Ed Clements said he believes eight shots were fired by Bachochin after the man was pulled over for a “violation of traffic laws,” and refused to get out of his car. Of the reported eight shots fired, Clements was unsure how many hit the driver.
The man who was shot by the constable was released from the hospital Monday night, according to SLED spokesperson Thom Berry.
Dash cam and body cam videos were sent to the SLED lab for a frame-by-frame analysis, Clements said, and SLED’s also working to speak with anyone who may have seen the shooting.
SLED spokesperson Thom Berry says the Bachochin is an “advanced group 3” constable. Constables are volunteers and work without getting paid, spokesperson Berry said. The person has to request to work for a particular agency and, if that agency approves the person, they must follow the agency’s rules.
Clements told News13 he would review all of the evidence and decide whether anyone should be charged. Prosecutors commonly review evidence when officers shoot someone.
