Solicitor: Deputies acted 'reasonably' when they shot, killed man with rifle

A drunken Jeffrey Smith fired a rifle into the darkness and ignored commands to drop the gun before he was shot dead by a sheriff's deputy outside his Meggett home in January, authorities said Monday.

Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said the two Charleston County deputies involved in the incident had reason to believe their lives were in danger and acted "reasonably and lawfully" in responding to the threat.

Wilson announced her conclusion after reviewing an investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division.

The investigation determined that Smith was armed with a .30-30 Marlin rifle with a scope and had a blood alcohol level more than four times the .08 legal limit for driving. Wilson described the incident as "an unfortunate, tragic event that Mr. Smith set in motion."

Smith's family, however, is not convinced he posed a danger. His sister, Jaclyn Smith, called Wilson's ruling "an injustice."

Read more in Tuesday's edition of The Post and Courier.