SOUTH CAROLINA LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION

NIKKI R. HALEY

MARK A. KEEL

Chief

Governor

January 23, 2012

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
TO:

File 32-11-0102

FROM:

Special Agent Jeremy C. Smith

RE:

Officer Involved Shooting

Edward
Stephon

Scott Richardson AKA Scotty (subject/officer)

Morrell Carter (subject)

COUNTY: Aiken
Introduction
On December 20, 2011, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) received
a request from the Aiken Department of Public Safety (ADPS) to investigate an officer
involved shooting. Lieutenant (Lt.) Tommy Robertson assigned Special Agent (S/A)
Jeremy C. Smith to conduct the investigation.
Summary
According to the ADPS Incident Report (Attachment 1), other witnesses and the
attachments included throughout this report, the following is a synopsis of the events
leading up to the officer involved shooting that occurred on December 20, 2011: At
approximately 9:15 pm ADPS officer Travis Griffin stopped a black Chevrolet Impala
reported to have been involved in a neighborhood drive by shooting. Officer Griffin had
received information from dispatch that the vehicle was registered to Stephon Carter,

P.O. Box 21398 / Columbia, South Carolina 29221-1398 / (803) 737-9000 / Fax (803) 896-7588

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who also had been named as being involved in the drive by shooting. The stop occurred
in the parking lot of Brandt Court in Aiken, SC. Providing backup support were officers
Tracy Seymour and Scott Richardson. Griffin asked Carter to step out of the vehicle.
Once Carter was at the rear of the vehicle, he pulled a gun from his pocket and shot
Griffin and ADPS officer Scotty Richardson. Griffin was hit in his bulletproof vest.
Richardson was hit in his vest as well as in the head. Carter fled from the scene but was
subsequently shot by ADPS officer Christopher Lind and placed into custody. A
neighborhood canvas was conducted by Detectives from ADPS.
On December 20, 2011, S/A Smith and S/A Freddie Pough interviewed Michael Mosley.
Mosley was a passenger in the black Chevrolet Impala. The interview was audio/video
recorded (Attachment 2). A voluntary statement was obtained, along with an
advisement of Miranda Rights form (Attachment 3) from Mosley, who provided the
following information: He was at the home of Jody Kitchings grandmother when
Stephon Carter came over and asked Kitchings to take him home. He rode with them.
When the police got behind them, Carter commented he might go down for murder and
told them he had guns in the car. Jody Kitchings was driving, Stephon Carter was in the
passenger seat and he was in the back seat. When the police came around to Carters
side, Carter got out of the car and started shooting at the police and fled the scene.
On December 21, 2012, S/A Smith and S/A Pough interviewed Jody Kitchings.
Kitchings was the driver of the black Chevrolet Impala that was stopped by ADPS
officers. The interview was audio/video recorded (Attachment 4). A voluntary
statement was obtained, along with an advisement of Miranda Rights form, (Attachment
5), from Kitchings, who provided the following information: He was at his
grandmothers home when Carter called him to say he was going to come over. When
Carter got to the house, they hung out until Carter asked him to take him home. Tryson,
AKA Michael Mosley rode with them. While on the way to take Carter home, a police
car turned around on their vehicle. When he saw the lights he pulled over. He reported
Carter pulled a gun up and said, Im bout to go to jail for murder. He heard the officer
ask Carter about a shooting on Teague Street. He heard the officer ask Carter if he had a
gun to which Carter replied no. When the officer told Carter to step out of the car,

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Carter started shooting and ran from the car. He looked back and saw the officer lying on
the ground.
On December 21, 2012, ADPS provided a copy of Officer Griffins in car video
(Attachment 6). S/A Smith reviewed the video, which showed Carter being directed to
the rear of the vehicle by Officer Griffin. At the rear of the vehicle, Carter put his hands
in his pockets. When he removed his hands from his pockets, he fired a handgun in the
direction of the officers. The suspect then fled the scene.
On December 22, 2011, S/A Perry and S/A Pough interviewed ADPS officer Travis
Griffin. A voluntary statement (Attachment 7), was obtained from Griffin who provided
the following information: On December 20, 2011, in the late evening, he received a call
from dispatch regarding a shooting near 750 Teague Street in Aiken, SC. He was given
information that two shots were fired from a black Impala and that the person driving the
Impala was Stephon Carter. While at the intersection of York Street and Rutland
Avenue, he observed a black Impala that matched the description of Stephon Carters
vehicle. The vehicles license plate came back to Stephon Carter. He activated his blue
lights and the Impala pulled into Paces Run Apartment Complex. He was aware that
Officer Richardson was on the way to back him up. He questioned Carter regarding
weapons in the vehicle. Carter responded that he did not have any weapons in the car.
ADPS Sgt. Tracy Seymour arrived on scene and was advised of the situation. He walked
to the passenger side and asked Carter to exit the car. As Carter exited the vehicle, he
began walking away from the car. He grabbed Carters arm and asked him to step to the
rear of the vehicle. Carter was asked to remove his hands from his pockets two times.
After the second command, Carter brought his hands out of his pockets and shot Griffin
in the chest with a gun he had in his right front pocket. He did not see Officer
Richardson get shot, but observed Sgt. Seymour return fire and he returned fire as well.
He observed Sgt. Seymour over Officer Richardson and was able to see he had been shot.
On December 22, 2011, S/A Perry and S/A Pough interviewed ADPS Sgt. Tracy
Seymour. A voluntary statement (Attachment 8), was obtained from Seymour, who
provided the following information: On December 20, 2011, she responded to a traffic
stop of a shooting suspect, as well as ADPS officers Richardson, Hadden and Lind. Once

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on-scene and as she approached the suspect vehicle, she was briefed by Officer Griffin.
She took a position to cover the officer and monitor the actions of the other subjects in
the vehicle as Griffin removed the front seat passenger. She heard both Griffin and
Richardson tell the suspect to remove his hands from his pockets. As she observed the
suspect take his hands from his pockets, she immediately saw him fire two or three shots
towards the officers. She drew her weapon and shot two rounds at the suspect.
On December 22, 2011, S/A Perry and S/A Pough interviewed ADPS officer Christopher
Lind. A voluntary statement (Attachment 9), was obtained from Lind, who provided the
following information: On December 20, 2011, he responded to a traffic stop of a
shooting suspect. He placed his vehicle on Camelia Street and proceeded to observe the
traffic stop. He observed the subject exit the vehicle with both of his hands in his
pockets. He observed what he thought was Officer Griffin instructing the subject to
remove his hands from his pockets. The subject immediately pulled out a weapon and
began shooting. He observed the subject flee and Sgt. Seymour engage the subject before
he made it behind the building. He moved his patrol car onto Bunche Terrace. He saw
the subject running behind the buildings and Officer Hadden standing outside of his
vehicle actively shooting at the suspect. He drove past Hadden and exited his vehicle.
He drew his weapon and ordered the suspect to stop. When the suspect failed to stop he
fired a total of four rounds, hitting the subject. When the suspect was down he
approached with Hadden and took the subject into custody.
On December 22, 2011, S/A Perry and S/A Pough interviewed ADPS officer Oliver
Hadden. A voluntary statement (Attachment 10), was obtained from Hadden, who
provided the following information: On December 20, 2011, he responded to a traffic
stop of a shooting suspect. He took position across from the apartments and had a clear
view of the traffic stop. He observed Stephon Carter outside of the Impala and saw him
produce a gun and fire at Sgt. Seymour, officers Richardson and Griffin. He saw Carter
flee the scene and he moved his patrol car across the street. He exited the patrol car and
ordered Carter to stop. When Carter failed to comply, he fired five shots at him. After
Officer Lind had fired and hit Carter, they approached him. Carter was on the ground
and was only showing one of his hands. They ordered him to show both hands at which
time he tossed a revolver into the dirt at the playground.

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On December 22, 2011, Judge Tracey Carroll issued arrest warrants for Stephon Carter
for the Murder of Officer Scott Richardson (Attachment 11) and the Attempted Murder
of Officer Travis Griffin (Attachment 12).
Stephon Carter was initially unable to be interviewed due to his medical condition.
When his medical condition improved, Carter had retained an attorney.
On January 4, 2012, S/A Perry served both warrants on Stephon Carter at the Aiken
county Detention Center.
On February 14, 2012, S/A Smith and S/A Perry interviewed JoAn Logan. A voluntary
statement (Attachment 13), was obtained from Logan, who provided the following
information: On December 20, 2011, she dropped her son off at his girlfriends
apartment. As she was leaving the apartment complex she saw a car pull into the first
building followed by a police car with blue lights flashing. She saw a person get out of
the first car on the passenger side and saw the officer get out of his car and come around
the front of his car. She heard gunshots and got down on the floor of her car for a few
seconds. When she got up she saw the officer going to the ground. She backed her
vehicle up to return to the apartment where she dropped her son off. The next time she
saw the person that ran from the shooting he was in the playground area on the ground.
The following documents were obtained pertinent to this investigation:

In car video from Officer Richardson (Attachment 14)

In car video from Officer Lind (Attachment 15)

In car video from Officer Hadden (Attachment 16)

In car video from Officer Schoener (Attachment 17)

In car video from Officer Drumming (Attachment 18)

In car video from Officer Griffin (slow motion) (Attachment 19)

Frame/frame and still captures from Officer Griffin in car video (Attachment 20)

ADPS On Scene Personnel Log (Attachment 21)

EMS reports (Attachment 22)

CAD report (Attachment 23)

911/Radio Traffic (Attachment 24) (Audio)

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ADPS case file (Discharging Firearm in City) (Attachment 25)

Voluntary Statements from ACSO Deputy John Rutland (Attachment 26)

Voluntary Statement from ADPS officer Jeffrey Bruckner (Attachment 27)

Voluntary Statement from ADPS Sgt. Robert A Patterson, Jr. (Attachment 28)

Voluntary Statement from John Utley (Attachment 29)

Memorandum of Interview (MOI) of Tarsha Cummings (Attachment 30)

MOI Derrell Long (Attachment 31)

Criminal History for Michael Mosley (Attachment 32)

Criminal History for Jody Kitchings (Attachment 33)

Medical Records for Stephon Carter (Attachment 34)

ADPS Response to Resistance Reports (Attachment 35)

Consent to Search from Michael Mosley (Attachment 36)

Consent to Search from Jody Kitchings (Attachment 37)

SLED Computer Crime Center Report (Attachment 38)

Search Warrants- 8 (Attachment 39)

Black Chevrolet Impala
Black Samsung Cellular Phone
YouTube account of Stephon Carter
Facebook page of Boosie Montana AKA Stephon Carter
AT&T Cell phone number of (
TracFone Cell phone number of (
AT&T and all other carriers for Cell phone number
Verizon Wireless and all other carriers for Cell phone number

YouTube File on Stephon Carter (Attachment 40)

Facebook File of Boosie Montana (Attachment 41)
Cell Phone Records for

(Stephon Carters Phone) (Attachment 42)

Stephon Carters Tattoos (Attachment 43)

Victim information (Attachment 44)
Chain of Custody/Receipts for Property (Attachment 45)
SLED Crime Scene Log (Attachment 46)
SLED Crime Scene Photographs (Attachment 47)

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SLED Firearms Report (Attachment 48)
SLED Toxicology Report (Attachment 49)
SLED DNA Analysis Report(s) (Attachment 50)
Autopsy Report (Attachment 51)
SLED Trace Evidence Report(s) (Attachment 52)
Letter from Solicitor J. Strom Thurmond (Attachment 53)
Aerial Photos of Incident Location (Attachment 54)
ATF/LEMS Reports (Attachment 55)
MOI Samuel Howard Hickman Junior (Attachment 56)
MOI Bobby Eugene Oakman Junior (Attachment 57)
Criminal History and DMV information for Stephon Carter (Attachment 58)
SLED Crime Scene Report (Attachment 59)
Cell Phone records for

/Michael Mosley (Attachment 60)

Cell Phone records for

/Jody Kitchings (Attachment 61)

A copy of this report will be provided to the proper prosecutorial authority for review.
______________________
S/A Jeremy C. Smith

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Attachments
1. ADPS Incident Report
2. Audio/Video Interview of Michael Mosley
3. Voluntary Statement and advisement of Miranda Rights from Michael Mosley
4. Audio/Video Interview of Jody Kitchings
5. Voluntary Statement and advisement of Miranda Rights from Jody Kitchings
6. In car video Officer Travis Griffin
7. Voluntary Statement from Officer Travis Griffin
8. Voluntary Statement from Sgt. Tracy Seymour
9. Voluntary Statement from Officer Christopher Lind
10. Voluntary Statement from Officer Oliver Hadden
11. Murder Warrant for Stephon Carter
12. Attempted Murder Warrant for Stephon Carter
13. Voluntary Statement from JoAn Logan
14. In car video from Officer Richardson
15. In car video from Officer Lind
16. In car video from Officer Hadden
17. In car video from Officer Schoener
18. In car video from Officer Drumming
19. In car video from Officer Griffin (slow motion)
20. Frame/frame and still captures from Officer Griffin in car video
21. ADPS On Scene Personnel Log
22. EMS reports
23. CAD report
24. 911/Radio Traffic (Audio)
25. ADPS case file (Discharging Firearm in City)
26. Voluntary Statements from ACSO Deputy John Rutland
27. Voluntary Statement from ADPS officer Jeffrey Bruckner
28. Voluntary Statement from ADPS Sgt. Robert A Patterson, Jr.
29. Voluntary Statement from John Utley
30. Memorandum of Interview (MOI) of Tarsha Cummings

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31. MOI Derrell Long
32. Criminal History for Michael Mosley
33. Criminal History for Jody Kitchings
34. Medical Records for Stephon Carter
35. ADPS Response to Resistance Reports
36. Consent to Search from Michael Mosley
37. Consent to Search from Jody Kitchings
38. SLED Computer Crime Center Report
39. Search Warrants- 8
Black Chevrolet Impala
Black Samsung Cellular Phone
YouTube account of Stephon Carter
Facebook page of Boosie Montana AKA Stephon Carter
AT&T Cell phone number of
TracFone Cell phone number of
AT&T and all other carriers for Cell phone number
Verizon Wireless and all other carriers for Cell phone number
40. YouTube File on Stephon Carter
41. Facebook File of Boosie Montana AKA Stephon Carter
42. Cell Phone Records for
43. Stephon Carters Tattoos
44. Victim information
45. Chain of Custody/Receipts for Property
46. SLED Crime Scene Log
47. SLED Crime Scene Photographs
48. SLED Firearms Report
49. SLED Toxicology Report
50. SLED DNA Analysis Report(s)
51. Autopsy Report
52. SLED Trace Evidence Report(s)
53. Letter from Solicitor J. Strom Thurmond
54. Aerial Photos of Incident Location

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55. ATF/LEMS Reports
56. MOI Samuel Howard Hickman Junior
57. MOI Bobby Eugene Oakman Junior
58. Criminal History and DMV for Stephon Carter
59. SLED Crime Scene Report
60. Cell Phone Records for

/Michael Mosley

61. Cell Phone Records for

/Jody Kitchings