YORK COUNTY, SC – As of the publication of this statement, the York County Sheriff’s Office has not been served with a lawsuit filed by Trevor Mullinax related to an officer involved shooting on May 7, 2021. The YCSO cannot respond to any specific allegations until we and outside council have had an opportunity to thoroughly review the document in its entirety.
This matter was investigated independently by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and all of the deputies involved were cleared of any wrongdoing by the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. The only individual that was found to have engaged in wrongdoing on May 7, 2021 was Trevor Mullinax and that was why he was charged criminally with point and presenting a firearm (Warrant No. 2021A4610100429) by SLED as a result of this incident.
“I tell all of my deputies that their goal is to serve the citizens of York County and then to go home safely to their families. Mr. Mullinax chose to put these men in danger by pulling a shotgun. These deputies responded appropriately to the threat as they were trained to do. Had Mr. Mullinax made different choices that day, deputies would not have been required to use force,” said Sheriff Kevin Tolson. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure the safety of the public and our deputies. Regardless of the outcome of this lawsuit, we want to reassure our residents that we will continue to provide high quality and professional law enforcement service.”
Three of the four deputies involved in this incident are still serving the community as YCSO deputies. One deputy voluntarily left the agency in April 2022 to take a job in the private sector.
The Sheriff’s Office looks forward to vigorously defending against these allegations in the appropriate legal forum.