A more than 20-year veteran of the Greenwood Police Department has been quickly cleared by the prosecutor in a police-action shooting that took place this weekend.
Prosecutor Brad Cooper reviewed the Saturday shooting, including video from the officer’s body camera, which he said showed the shooting was justified.
“I reviewed the video and have not seen a more clear-cut case of the proper use of deadly force in my 22 years of reviewing police action shootings,” Cooper said in a statement.
Cooper said he considers the case to be closed, the release said.
Greenwood Police Sgt. Eric McElhaney shot and killed a man who had stabbed his girlfriend and was preparing to stab her again in a Greenwood garage, police said.
“Officer McElhaney’s quick and wholly justified actions saved the victim’s life,” Cooper said in the statement.
McElhaney repeatedly ordered Samson G. Varner, 36, to drop the knife and step away from Emily Glass, 35, who was on the floor, suffering from multiple stab wounds. Varner stepped back, but then raised the knife above his head and lunged toward Glass. McElhaney fired several shots, killing Varner, police have said.
