Columbia Police Officers Cleared in Shooting Death

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)  —  It took a Richland County jury less than an hour to decide that Columbia Police officers Adam Anderson and Matthew Fields were justified in using deadly force during an encounter with a suspect back in May.

A coroner’s inquest was ordered by Richland County coroner Gary Watts due to several unanswered questions regarding the manner in which 21-year-old Ajani Mitchell died when he was shot by police. Jurors concluded that, while the majority of the 12 gunshots that penetrated Mitchell’s body were to his back, he received those injuries due to being in motion, trying to jump a fence, as he turned around and pointed a gun at officers.  Mitchell died on the scene.

The incident occurred the night of May 25, after officers responded to a domestic dispute between 21-year-old Ajani Mitchell and his mother.  The mother claimed her son had been acting combative and weird since converting to Islamic faith.

Mitchell has said that he was waiting to have a ‘police shootout’ with officers when they arrived.  Adams and Fields could have faced termination and criminal charges.  Acting police chief Ruben Santiago said the coroner’s inquiry did reveal there are administrative and procedural changes that need to be made within the Department.  Santiago claims those changes are already underway.