‘He killed me’: Dashcam footage reveals dialogue during deadly police shooting in Longs
“He killed me. Help me, oh lord, help me. I’ve been shot.”
Those were some of the last words Tristan Vereen moaned after he was shot following a scuffle with a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper in the Longs area. Dashcam footage, which includes audio, was released to The Sun News on Friday and shows a car chase that ends with Vereen running out of frame, pursued by the trooper.
This is the second video released by law enforcement surrounding the shooting but the first with audio. The first video, from a private home camera, released by the Horry County solicitor shows parts of the fight between Tristan Vereen and Whitney Blake (W.B.) Benton but with no sound attached.
It was not clear why Benton was pulling Vereen over, though law enforcement has said it was for an “equipment violation.” His lawyers and family said it was for a broken windshield.
The 44-minute video mostly shows the back of Vereen’s gray Honda Element, but the officer can be heard chasing Vereen around the yard telling him to stop and that he “must be high on something.
About 30 seconds into the foot chase, Benton is heard saying “get on the ground,” followed by the sound of a taser being shot and Vereen screaming.
“They’re trying to kill me,” Vereen is heard shouting as the sound of the taser continues. Benton is shouting at Vereen to “let me see your hands.”
Benton repeats the command at least five more times as the sound of the taser persists over the sound of the two men wrestling. It is unclear who is using the taser at this point in the video. Jimmy Richardson, Horry County’s solicitor, has said that Vereen used the taser on Benton after he put it down during the fight. Photos released by the solicitor show taser marks on Benton’s neck.
The taser continues to go off as Benton shouts at Vereen “I’ll shoot you.” Benton then yells “he’s biting me” twice before the sound of a gunshot is heard. Photos released by the solicitor’s office show a black and blue bite mark on Benton.
After the gunshot is heard, Benton again asks to see Vereen’s hands. Vereen is heard moaning and then screaming “He killed me.” Benton asks for help over the police radio.
Benton then tells Vereen to turn over, twice, “or I’ll do it again.”
In the home camera footage, Vereen is on top of Benton when it appears Vereen was shot, one minute and 19 seconds into the video. Vereen can be seen falling to his side and propping himself up on his right hand and hip.
Benton is then seen walking behind a stumbling Vereen, who has streaks of blood running down his white shirt. The sight of the blood is mostly obscured by the black rectangle edited to hide Vereen’s face. Benton has his gun drawn and Vereen takes off his shirt.
“Get on the ground and I’ll get you an ambulance,” Benton can be heard telling Vereen in the newest video footage.
Vereen continues to plead for an ambulance and Benton tells him and bystanders, not seen on the dashcam footage, that they are on the way.
Benton then walks back to his patrol car and asks dispatch for an ambulance and more officers. Benton then paces towards the front of his car, coming into frame for a moment and then walks back out. He groans from pain and his shoulder appears to be injured. He needed surgery after the shooting, but police have not given details about his injuries.
Lawyers say stop was illegal
The attorneys for Vereen’s family, civil rights attorney Harry Daniels and co-counsel Chantel Cherry-Lassiter, released a statement in reference to case to WPDE-TV on Wednesday.
“Tristan Vereen, a 33-year-old black man, was fatally wounded after he was illegally stopped and illegally arrested by State Trooper Whitney Blake (W.B.) Benton of the S.C. Highway Patrol. According to Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson, he believed that Trooper Benton initiated a traffic stop on Mr. Vereen due to a cracked windshield. Notably, a vehicle with a cracked windshield in the State of South Carolina, is not a traffic violation according to South Carolina law.”
“If the stop is unlawful then the killing is unlawful. Mr. Vereen had the absolute right to resist the unlawful arrest of Trooper Benton. Unfortunately, we see time after time that the rights that have been afforded to us by the United States Constitution, are not afforded to people of color when it comes to their interaction(s) with law enforcement.”
Daniels told MyHorryNews he did not like the officer’s comments after the first shot was fired.
“Why would you shoot a person who’s been shot and they’re not rolling over and you’re no longer in combat with that person?” he asked. “That’s pretty disturbing. So the question is, ‘Why did you shoot him in the first place?’ if you’re willing to say ‘If you don’t roll, I’ll shoot you again,’ that puts you in a position of ‘Why did you shoot him in the first place?’”
The Sun News left phone messages with Daniels seeking comment Friday but he has not responded.
This story was originally published September 24, 2021 at 2:13 PM.
