In the early morning hours of Saturday, March 22, 2014, a disturbance at a home on Fort Mill Highway in Indian Land, South Carolina, escalated into a fatal shooting. Responding to a call that was upgraded from a disturbance to a shooting at approximately 2:30 a.m., deputies from the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office arrived to a grim scene. In the driveway of the residence, they discovered the body of 21-year-old David N. Hammer of Fort Mill.
He had sustained a single gunshot wound.
The investigation that followed revealed a tense and ultimately tragic series of events. Hammer had reportedly been involved in an argument and was seen assaulting a female in the driveway of a mobile home. The owner of the property and landlord to Hammer's sister, 57-year-old Douglas Jowers, along with a neighbor, witnessed the altercation. Jowers and his wife exited their home to intervene. According to the sheriff's office, Hammer, who was described as heavily intoxicated and angered, was asked to leave the property but instead began to approach Jowers in an aggressive manner.
Feeling threatened, particularly due to a vulnerable condition from a recent surgery, Jowers, who was legally armed with a pistol, fired one shot, striking Hammer. Tragically, Hammer died at the scene. All individuals involved in the incident were located and questioned by law enforcement. An investigation was conducted by the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office in consultation with the Sixth Circuit Solicitor's Office to determine the legality of the shooting.
After a thorough review of the evidence and the circumstances surrounding the incident, it was determined that Jowers had acted in self-defense. The sheriff's office announced in May 2014 that no charges would be filed against him, citing South Carolina's 'stand your ground' law, which permits individuals to use deadly force on their own property if they feel their life is in danger. The solicitor's office concurred with this decision, officially closing the case. The incident was described by the sheriff as an unfortunate event that ended in the tragic loss of a young person's life.
