The killing of unarmed 19-year-old Zachary Hammond by a South Carolina police officer during a narcotics sting prompted federal and state civil rights investigations.
Key Facts
- Date of shooting
- July 26, 2015
- Age of victim
- 19 years
- Officer involved
- Lt. Mark Tiller, age 32
- Shots fired
- 2
- Criminal charges filed
- None; declined by 10th Circuit Solicitor
- Dashcam video released
- October 27, 2015
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Seneca police conducted an undercover narcotics operation targeting Hammond's passenger. Hammond was not the subject of the drug sting and was unarmed at the time officers approached his vehicle.
On July 26, 2015, police lieutenant Mark Tiller shot Zachary Hammond twice while Hammond sat in his car in Seneca, South Carolina, killing the 19-year-old during the undercover narcotics operation.
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina, and SLED all investigated. SLED referred its findings to the 10th Circuit Solicitor, who declined to bring criminal charges against Tiller. Dashcam footage was released publicly on October 27, 2015.