GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) -
The death of a man who was shot and killed by a deputy and officer outside the Greenville County Law Enforcement Center two months ago was ruled a suicide Monday.
Last week, 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins said charges will not be filed against the Greenville police officer or the Greenville County deputy in the fatal shooting of Wesley Kyle Swilling, 31, on Jan. 14.
On Friday, officials released video surveillance footage of the incident from cameras outside the LEC. The cameras that captured the fatal confrontation automatically move, so they only give a few glimpses of what happened before panning away. For a few minutes, parts of a confrontation between a man and two law enforcement officers can be seen on the video.
Investigators said Swilling came to the parking lot threw a baseball at the officer, yelled, threatened to kill him and pulled what looked like a handgun out, pointing it at the officer and deputy. They said the officer and deputy repeatedly ordered Swilling to stop and drop what the weapon, but he refused, and they returned with gunfire, firing 24 rounds. Later it was revealed that Swilling was actually armed with a hot glue gun.
On Monday, Jeff Fowler, of the Greenville County Coroner's Office, said Swilling's death was ruled a suicide.
Mills Ariail, an attorney for Swilling's mother, said the family has not decided if they will sue the department and sheriff's office, but he did say he wants to know why the deputy and officer felt the need to fire. He said from the evidence he's seen, Swilling did not appear confrontational.
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Surveillance video taken the night Swilling was killed shows a lone man walking through the parking lot at the Law Enforcement Center. (Jan. 14, 2013/Source: Greenville Co. Sheriff's Office)
