UPDATE: Coroner’s Inquest into Officer-involved Shooting Underway

UPDATE: All three officers, Jason Davidson, Adam Anderson and Matthew Fields, testified on the stand and recalled the events of May 25, 2013.  Each described being ‘in fear’ for their life and felt they had to shoot the suspect, Ajani Mitchell, in order to subdue him.  Mitchell died at the scene.  Richland County Coroner Gary Watts says due to numerous concerns and questions from the community regarding the way in which Mitchell died, combined with allegations at the time of the incident that the behavior of Columbia Police Department was questionable, was reason to move forward with a formal inquest.  Acting City of Columbia Police Chief Ruben Santiago is expected to testify Wednesday.  The jury is expected to deliver a verdict by Wednesday afternoon.

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12:40PM.  Columbia Police officers who fired fatal shots, killing 21-year-old Ajani Mitchell, May 25, 2013, take the stand.  Officers Jason Davidson and Matthew Fields testified what happened the evening they say Mitchell threatened their lives with deadly force.  Fields pointed out for the jury, via photos of the crime scene and a re-enactment of what occurred, that Mitchell ran from officers and jumped a nearby fence.  It was at that point, according to Fields, that the suspect turned and aim a weapon at officers.  Fields says he fired his police weapon, “shooting until the threat was eliminated.” Fields claims, after the suspect was down, he verified the suspect was no longer firing at officers and then removed the suspect’s weapon.

Both Davidson and Fields testified earlier that they were told via a dispatcher while en route that the suspect had a weapon and had threatened to ‘shoot police’ on site.

Davidson and Fields are two of three officers at the center of a coroner request initiated by Richland County Coroner, Gary Watts, to verfiy legitimacy of the events the day of the incident.  Watts says, in an effort to ‘put everything on record’ he ordered the inquest based on several questions, concerns, grievances from the community.  A six-person jury was chosen from a jury pool and is expected to render a verdict Wednesday.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)  —  Richland County Coroner Garry Watts says due to numerous inquiries, accusations and questions directed at his office by members of the community, he felt it was necessary to ‘put everything on record’ before a jury of six, three men and three women.

An official coroner inquest is underway in Richland County court.  Watts claims the shooting death of 21-year-old Ajani Mitchell by Columbia Police officers garnered much concern from the community near where the incident took place.  The ‘domestic [dispute] with a weapon’ took place on May 25, 2013, around 8:00 pm, at a home in the 5800 block of Conveyor Street near Farrow Road.  According to court testimony, Mitchell and his mother had an altercation.  At some point, Mitchell brandished a weapon and said that he ‘would shoot officers’ on site.  Testimony by officers indicate that three Columbia Police officers pursued the subject on foot, when he jumped a fence, turned at officers and aimed his weapon.  Interim police chief, Ruben Santiago, reportedly said the officers feared for their lives and ‘did what they had to do.’

Testimony revealed that Mitchell’s mother said he had been ‘acting weird’ since he converted to Islam.  The inquest is expected to last two days