VIDEO: Sheriff: Man shoots, kills 17-year-old after theft

CAMDEN, S.C. (WOLO) — Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews says a Camden man has been charged, after shooting and killing a 17-year-old, who was running away from the man’s property after stealing items from his truck.

Officials say 49-year-old Jimmy Methe is charged with voluntary manslaughter. The victim is Brandon Spencer, of McCrae Road in Camden.

Deputies say they were dispatched to Methe’s residence on Norden Drive in Camden around 3 a.m. Saturday and were met by Methe, who told them that he had shot a person, later identified as Spencer, when he had seen Spencer and another person stealing items from his truck. One of the other responding deputies found Spencer’s body lying in the road about 35 yards away. He had been shot one time in the head.

The person who was with Spencer fled the scene and has not been identified.

Investigators recovered items that had been stolen from Methe’s truck by Spencer and the other individual. They also located a gas can and hose that they believe were to be used to siphon gas from Methe’s truck.

Methe was cooperative with the responding officers and relinquished his weapon to them. He was taken into custody without incident and provided investigators with his account of what had taken place.

KCSO says in the past six months, the neighborhood where this incident took place has been hit with several vehicle break-ins as well as larcenies and burglaries. The KCSO has one report of a vehicle break-in at Methe’s residence in which two firearms were stolen.

Here is a statement from Sheriff Matthews:

“Jimmy Methe and his family went to bed last night with no idea that a few hours later he would shoot and kill someone who had tried to steal from him and his family. Brandon Spencer may not have even gone to bed last night, planning with his buddy to steal from an innocent homeowner. He certainly had no idea he would end up dead. The law states that you can use deadly force to protect yourself, your family or someone who is in immediate danger of death or great bodily harm. The law does not allow you to shoot and kill someone who has stolen from you and is fleeing. Unfortunately, Jimmy Methe made a split second bad decision and will now face criminal charges. Law abiding citizens are frustrated with the failure of our criminal justice system that really does not deter crime. Situations like what occurred early this morning are more and more likely to be the result of that frustration.”

Methe is currently being detained at the Kershaw County Detention Center and will remain there until a General Sessions court judge holds a bond hearing for him during the week of February 15, 2016.

Spencer has one prior arrest for possession of marijuana in February 2016. Methe has been previously arrested for a marijuana violation in 1995.