In April of 2015, Myrtle Beach resident Julian Betton was shot nine times by police officers for allegedly selling $100 worth of marijuana.
As reported by The Washington Post, Betton allegedly sold $50 worth of marijuana to an undercover police informant on two separate occasions. The individuals residence was raided and police claimed that they were open fired upon by Betton. In retaliation, Betton was fired at 57 times, being hit with 9 rounds.
Ballistics test later determined that Betton did not fire upon the officers, though he did have a firearm.
As written by Radley Balko in The Washington Post article, much of the police officers’ story was false.
“And as it turns out, much of the rest of the raid team’s story was false, too. The officers were apparently unaware of the fact that Betton had a security camera. Footage of the first moments of the raid shows that the first officers into the house had no insignia on their clothes indicating they were law enforcement. The first officers are wearing dark tops with light slacks. One is wearing a backward baseball cap, another a balaclava hood. Moreover, the video clearly shows that no officer knocked on Betton’s door before the battering ram smashed it open. The video has no sound, so it’s difficult to say if the police announced themselves. But they did not have a no-knock warrant, which means they were obligated to knock, announce themselves and wait a sufficient period of time before entering. The courts haven’t said exactly how long police are required to wait, but it’s generally thought to be at least 10 seconds. The cops who raided Betton didn’t knock. And if they announced, it was within just a few seconds of smashing down his door, and then shooting him.”
