By Javon L. Harris
The State
RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — The mother of a 13-year-old who killed a Richland County sheriff’s K9 in December is facing a criminal charge and a civil lawsuit.
The Richland County Sheriff Department has charged Shameka Williams, 34, with accessory after the fact of a felony after her 13-year-old son pled guilty to shooting K9 Bumi last month. Sheriff Leon Lott said Williams assisted in hiding her son, acting as a “getaway driver” after he shot and killed Bumi in the early morning hours of Dec. 23 .
“She needs to be held accountable for not knowing where her 13-year-old was (on the night of Bumi’s killing), and then also be held accountable for going and picking him up,” Lott said of Williams.
Lott said surveillance video showed Williams picking up her son around 3 a.m. on the night of the shooting as the teen was hiding from deputies after killing Bumi.
Upon executing a search warrant on the 13-year-old’s residence, Lott said, deputies located the juvenile’s shoes hidden in an attic and his clothing in a washing machine.
“Now, I know our parents love their kids,” Lott said Friday. “But if they’re in trouble and they call you to come pick them up, pick them up and bring them to the sheriff’s department, because if you take them home and you condone what they’re doing, then they’re going to continue to do it.”
In addition to criminal charges, Lott said, he’s planning to file a civil lawsuit against Williams, something has never been done before to his “knowledge.”
“We can sue them for up to $5,000 if their child is out here and does damage or kills a (police) dog,” Lott said. “Next week, we’re going to file a lawsuit” against Williams.
A total of three juvenile suspects were charged in Bumi’s death.
The 13-year-old and a 16-year-old pled guilty in family court last week in Bumi’s shooting death, Lott said. The 13-year-old, who also was accused of shooting at a deputy, pled guilty to attempted murder and assault and battery in the first degree, while the 16-year-old pled guilty to obstruction of justice, according to Lott.
The 16-year-old, who was already wanted by the state Department of Juvenile Justice for a violation in Spartanburg County , was sentenced to 12 months of probation for the charge and sent back to Spartanburg County , where he faces charges unrelated to Bumi’s death, Lott said Monday.
A third suspect, Damien Rashawn Brown, 17, accused of driving a stolen vehicle and refusing to stop for deputies, was captured Dec. 28 .
Brown, who was denied bond, is in custody at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
Bumi, whose handler was deputy Alan Ware, was the third K9 the sheriff’s department has lost this year.
The shooting began just before 2:30 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 23 , when a deputy spotted a car that had been reported stolen near the 7400 block of Parklane Road , according to the sheriff. A chase followed that Lott said ended in the Greenview community after a deputy used a stop stick to deflate the stolen vehicle’s tires.
Two teenagers ran away. A 16-year-old was prevented from getting out of the vehicle and was detained at gunpoint, officials said, and was charged with obstruction of justice and misprision.
Ware and Bumi were among the deputies who responded to the scene. Bumi took off after one of the teens and ran out of sight. Shortly thereafter, Ware and other deputies heard gunshots, according to Lott.
The 13-year-old was arrested Tuesday, Dec. 24, and faced a list of charges, including attempted murder, unlawful killing of a police dog, malicious injury to personal property over $10,000, breach of peace in a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon under 18, unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to the sheriff’s department.
Lott said at least one other parent of the two juveniles involved in Bumi’s death will also soon face charges.
“This is an example of what we’re going to be doing from now on,” Lott said. “As we have these young people who are caught out here at night and breaking in and stealing cars, guns, etc., we’re going to do a further investigation on what . . . the parents know. And when the parents say, ‘I don’t care, I can’t control them,’ then we’re going to hold these parents accountable.”
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