FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – The City of Florence Mayor spoke to News13 about the memo released by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office regarding the constable-involved shooting in March.
The Attorney General’s office told News13 the detailed memo was not supposed to be released. However, a shorter and condensed version was supposed to be sent to the city.
The memo stated Constable Christopher Bachochin, who shot Brandon Fludd four times during a traffic stop in March, is “entitled to immunity from prosecution because he was acting in his law enforcement capacity in defense of himself and his fellow officers.”
Florence Mayor, Stephen Wukela, said he received the memo on Aug. 2, but the memo was dated July 19.
“The Attorney General is powered by the constitution to make these choices,” said Wukela. I’m obligated to honor the rule of law, and the decision of law, but I remain very troubled and disturbed.”
Wukela said he’s proud of the conduct of the City of Florence police officers who were on the call the night Fludd was pulled over.
“I think it’s telling that the City of Florence police officers didn’t unholster their weapons,” the Mayor said. “We were committed, and are committed, the City to transparency, to working diligently to unify this community, [and] certainly an event like that challenges that effort.”
Wukela said he doesn’t think the City of Florence police officers could have done anything differently that night, and has full confidence in the work they did.
“I think what you saw in that footage was City of Florence police officers that were professional, that were courteous,” said Wukela. “Courteous, frankly, in the face of discourtesy.”
The constable program is licensed by SLED. The Mayor said the city can only regulate the program in regards to ride-alongs held with the Florence police department.
Wukela said constables have not been on a ride-along with a Florence officer since the shooting in March.
“It’s a very simple thing to say we won’t use constables at all,” Wukela said. “But as a practical matter, there are times when you do need to use them it becomes a matter of evaluating how that occurs, under what circumstances that occurs, and how it’s regulated.”
News13 reached out to Brandon Fludd’s attorney, but he said he did not wish to comment.
