AIKEN COUNTY, S.C. — An Aiken County deputy has been terminated after allegedly opening fire on a vehicle during a traffic stop and confrontation on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, an Aiken County sheriff's deputy, later identified by the department as Christopher Williams, had opened fire on a motorist who drove away from a traffic stop.
According to SLED's preliminary statement, the gunfire struck the back of the vehicle but no one was injured.
The sheriff's office said in a Thursday update that an internal review of the incident found that Williams had violated the department's "use of force" policy.
According to the sheriff's department, Williams had been with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office since December 2021 and was a member of the uniformed patrol division.
At this time, the SLED investigation is still underway, a summary of which will be turned over to solicitors for possible prosecution.
The shooting is said to be the seventh in South Carolina involving an officer, so far, in 2023. It's the first to occur in Aiken since January. The county saw four the previous year.
