FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Florence Mayor Stephen Wukela is speaking out about Saturday’s deadly officer-involved shooting at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Mayor Wukela called the incident a tragedy but he said he believes the officer acted appropriately when he opened fire on 68-year-old Jethro Benjamin. Authorities say Benjamin waved a gun in the air, refused to drop his weapons when ordered to do so by police, and fired at an officer. Mayor Wukela said the officer involved had no other option but to shoot.
“Its terrible. It’s a terribly tragic situation. We’re devastated by the turn of events. But unfortunately, it doesn’t appear there was an alternative. It’s terribly unfortunate what had to occur but when you’ve got an individual with a firearm in a public place, an officer put himself in between that danger and the public,” he said.
The shooting is the 19th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina this year and is the second one in Florence in the past four months. The first one happened back in March when a constable shot a man in his car as he drove off during a traffic stop. Mayor Wukela said he believes the officers in that situation, and the latest officer-involved shooting, acted appropriately. But he also said he, other city council members and police find officer-involved shootings troubling, and they are concerned that this has happened a second time in four months. But he reiterated that, in situations where someone is believed to be a threat to others, it’s the job of police officers to protect the public, which is the city’s policy.
“I know that’s troubling to me and other members of council and staff and to police and to the officer himself. We’re devastated by the turn of events but unfortunately, it doesn’t appear there was an alternative,” he said. “You’ve got a individual here at a public place discharging a firearm at police officers. That officer didn’t have much choice.”
Mayor Wukela told News13 he has not yet seen the dash cam or body cam video from the incident. We have requested the footage but it has not been released to us at this time.
The officer involved is now on paid leave until further notice. According to the mayor, SLED has been in contact with Benjamin’s family.