Upstate Activist Bruce Wilson held a press conference Monday alongside the family of the suspect who died in the deputy-involved shooting last week, asking for answers regarding the incident.
Terrance Maurice Sligh died in a deputy-involved shooting incident last week during an attempt to serve a warrant on Sligh in connection to threatening messages sent to his ex-girlfriend.
At a press conference with Upstate Activist Bruce Wilson and Sligh's family, the group called for a more transparent investigation, with the family specifically asking to see body cam footage of the incident and gunshot wound details, which have so far been denied.
“This family is sitting here asking for the truth, and that’s all we could ask for,” Wilson said. “We can give benefit of the doubt, but that benefit is running out. If this was a good shooting, show it."
They also asked for reasoning behind the response from GCSO regarding the 30-day warrant.
According to Wilson, the Sheriff’s Office followed Sligh for some time in unmarked vehicles before attempting to serve the warrant.
Sligh has a documented history of depression, which his mother, Debra Roberts, explained he used to take medication for while growing up. She further explained that Sligh was suffering from a mental health crisis on the day of the incident.
Wilson and Sligh’s family explained their frustration in what they see as a lack of transparency in the investigation into the shooting, including the denial to view Sligh’s body, view body or dashcam footage of the incident, or receive details on the number of bullets that were shot and that actually hit Sligh.
“I just want the truth, good or bad. What happened to my child? A wild animal doesn't deserve to be shot at that many times,” Roberts said. “And you can’t tell me why? You can’t tell me how many times? You can’t tell me if he did something to you to even warrant this?”
We reached out to the Greenville County Sheriff's Office for comments on this story but did not hear back. The Sheriff’s Office has stated, however, that footage from the incident will be released 45 days after the incident, which would be on November 12th.
The SLED investigation into last week's fatal deputy-involved shooting is still ongoing.
