This April 7, 2015, booking photo provided by Edgefield County Detention Center, shows Justin Craven, a North Augusta, S.C., police officer. An Edgefield County grand jury indicted Craven Wednesday, May 27, 2015, on a felony charge in the death of a driver shot after a long chase. The indictment came nine months after a grand jury refused to indict Craven on a voluntary manslaughter charge. (Edgefield County Detention Center via AP)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina police officer has been indicted on a felony charge in the death of a driver he fatally shot after a long car chase.
A grand jury handed up an indictment Wednesday on a charge of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, which carries up to 10 years in prison. The indictment came nine months after a grand jury refused to indict Justin Craven on a voluntary manslaughter charge.
Authorities say Craven chased 68-year-old Ernest Satterwhite for a dozen miles to his driveway in February 2014. Investigators say Craven fired several shots through Satterwhite's car door almost immediately after he stopped. Craven told authorities that Satterwhite tried to grab the officer's gun.
Defense lawyer Jack Swerling says Craven thinks the shooting was justified and plans to go to trial.
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