No charges filed against York County deputy in 2017 fatal shooting

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — The shooting death of a man armed with a knife who climbed inside a York County Sheriff deputy’s patrol car last year has been ruled justified by the 16th Circuit Solicitor of South Carolina.

[RELATED: Coroner identifies man killed in York County officer-involved shooting]

Solicitor Kevin Brackett said no charges would be filed against Deputy Gary Pence following the shooting death of Trenton Fondren on Limestone Road Dec. 1, 2017.

Pence was the first deputy to respond that night to a call that Fondren was threatening his mother with a knife.

In his report, Bracket said Pence was justified in the shooting after Fondren refused to drop his knife and approached him aggressively. Pence backed away from his patrol car to keep a safe distance between him and Fondren and that’s when Fondren climbed inside the vehicle.

DNA testing confirmed that Fondren tried to get a hold of the loaded patrol rifle that was between the front seats, Brackett said. At that point, Pence shot and killed Fondren.

No deputies were injured in the incident.

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