In February 2014, Ernest Satterwhite Sr., a 68-year-old African-American great-grandfather, was fatally shot by a white police officer in North Augusta, South Carolina. The incident unfolded after Satterwhite led police on a 13-minute chase that ended in his own driveway. The officer involved was Justin Craven, who was 25 years old at the time.
The pursuit began when Craven attempted to pull Satterwhite over for suspected drunk driving.
The chase, mostly at low speeds, covered approximately nine miles and crossed from North Augusta into Edgefield County. Once Satterwhite parked his car in his driveway, Officer Craven ran to the vehicle. A dashcam video captured Craven reaching into Satterwhite's open car window with his gun. A struggle ensued, during which Satterwhite's arm was seen pushing at the officer's weapon. Craven then pulled his gun back and fired multiple shots into the car, striking Satterwhite. No weapon was found in Satterwhite's vehicle. Satterwhite was taken to a hospital where he later died.
Initially, prosecutors sought a charge of voluntary manslaughter against Craven, which could have carried a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. However, a grand jury declined to indict him on that charge, instead indicting him on a misdemeanor charge of misconduct in office. Later, Craven was charged with the felony of discharging a gun into an occupied vehicle. In April 2016, Craven pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor misconduct in office charge. He was sentenced to three years of probation and 80 hours of community service. He did not receive any prison time. The city of North Augusta and Edgefield County agreed to pay a settlement of nearly $1.2 million to Satterwhite's family to resolve a wrongful-death lawsuit.
