Latest news with #GreenvilleCountySheriffsOffice
Associated Press
06-08-2025
- Associated Press
2 South Carolina deputies hurt in training accident by live rounds kept in baggie in desk drawer
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Two deputies shot and injured in a training exercise in South Carolina were wounded by ammunition taken from a plastic bag in a desk drawer and not property tested to see if they were blanks, a sheriff said Wednesday. The officers were injured by what turned out to be breaching rounds used by police to break down doors and windows that were fired by an officer acting as a gunman in the July 29 training scenario, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said. Both deputies are recovering. Instead of getting rounds for the training out of the heavily controlled sheriff's armory, deputies took rounds they believed were blanks from a plastic bag in a desk drawer, Lewis said. The officers followed regulations and test-fired the rounds to see if they were blanks, but fired into a berm from too far away and didn't realize they were breaching rounds, which contain gunpowder and have enough power to knock down doors at close range, the sheriff said. No criminal charges were filed but internal investigators are still reviewing what happened and the deputies involved in obtaining the ammunition could be disciplined, Lewis said. 'I don't know how long those rounds were in that desk drawer. But I can assure you I don't think anybody would keep any kind of round in a baggie in a desk drawer at the Greenville County Sheriff's Office ever again,' Lewis said at a news conference Wednesday. The two injured deputies were part of a SWAT team undergoing regular training at a vacant school building. They were practicing checking rooms for people when another officer who was supposed to be a suspect fired at them with a shotgun that was supposed to be loaded with blanks. The injured deputies immediately realized they were bleeding and medics on the scene applied tourniquets that likely saved the life of one officer who had an artery severed after being shot in the groin, Lewis said. The other officer was struck just below his armpit and just above his bulletproof vest, the sheriff said. Both had to have emergency surgery and are still out of work a week after the shooting, Lewis said. The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has stopped training with shotguns as they investigate the shooting.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Yahoo
Officials: 14-year-old charged with weekend murder in Greenville, confesses to killing man
A 14-year-old has been charged with murder stemming from a shooting incident that took place on July 12 at Boulder Creek Apartments near Poinsett Highway in Greenville. Investigators with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office confirmed their homicide unit began an investigation after a man was reportedly shot dead on the morning of July 12, at 300 Furman Hall Road. Upon detainment and questioning of the underage suspect, the 14-year-old was ultimately taken into custody following a confession provided to local authorities. According to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office, the murder victim was an acquaintance of the 14-year-old suspect's mother. The suspect has also been charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime and has been transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia. – A.J. Jackson covers business, the food & dining scene, and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@ and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription. This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville police say teen confessed to killing man who knew his mother
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Judge sentences Upstate murder suspect to six months for outbursts
GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – The trial for a man accused of killing a Greer woman continued Wednesday in Greenville County. Zachary Hughes, accused of stabbing Christina Parcell to death in Greer, took the stand in his own trial. The defense is not denying Hughes killed her, but rather trying to prove that it was 'a just cause.' On Tuesday, the defense said that Hughes would take the stand to tell the jury why he took the life of Christina Parcell. There was not an empty seat in the courtroom as he testified. Hughes testified about his decorated music career as a graduate of Juilliard in Manhattan, and how it led him to meet John Mello. Hughes said the two grew close once he realized they both had experience with people he called 'psychopaths' 'I was convinced at that point that he must be describing something true, because no one would know how to describe it so specifically and accurately if they were just making it up,' Hughes said. Hughes said he grew involved in Parcell and Mello's custody battle, saying for the sake of the pair's daughter, he had a certain responsibility to help. Hughes said he believed the daughter was in 'incredible danger if left in Parcell's custody.' 'She was being tortured, she was drowning, him saying the spark was dying in her eyes was absolutely accurate,' Hughes said. 'I could see it, I could hear it in her voice, I could tell it in her demeanor. I had been absolutely convinced that Christina Parcell was sexually abusing her daughter.' FULL COVERAGE: Zachary Hughes Trial Solicitor and prosecutor Walt Wilkins pleaded for the judge to make Hughes step down from the stand, claiming that Hughes was 'making a mockery of the courtroom.' Hughes was instructed by the judge that he could not make comments alleging that Parcell had sexually abused her child. 'I put my hand on the Bible and made an oath to tell the whole truth.' Hughes responded. 'I am a little confused.' After a brief recess with his attorneys, Hughes proceeded to give details about how he killed Parcell. He said after he killed her he was 'freaking out,' but as soon as he left said he felt 'enormous relief.' 'I knew from that moment on that [redacted child's name] would be safe, would be safe from the sexual abuse that her mother was perpetrating on her, and there is proof that the state is hiding from you,' Hughes said. Solicitor Wilkins pleaded with the judge that Hughes had 'waived his right to continue testifying' stating that Hughes had 'no intent to follow the rules' and is 'trying to disrupt the criminal justice system.' Since Hughes was instructed not to mention the sexual abuse but continued to do so, the judge held him in contempt of court and sentenced him to six months of jail time. Hughes remained on the stand to answer further questions before breaking for the day. Deputies with the Greenville County Sheriffs Office said John Mello was arrested Wednesday, after Hughes' testimony in connection to the death of Parcell. On the stand, Hughes testified that Mello offered him money to kill Parcell. Hughes claimed he was offended by the offer, and would only kill her if he knew the child was in danger. The trial is expected to resume Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
