A grand jury in North Carolina on Wednesday indicted former North Augusta police officer on a felony charge in the shooting death of an unarmed man last year.
The Edgefield County Clerk of Court’s Office confirmed the grand jury indicted Justin Craven on a charge of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle following the 2014 shooting death of 68-year-old Ernest Satterwhite Sr., according to The Aiken Standard.
The charge against Craven was brought by the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
On the night of Feb. 9, 2014, Craven tried to initiate a traffic stop in North Augusta when a high speed ensued. Officials said that Satterwhite drove in excess of 100 mph with the pursuit ending on the man's dirt driveway on Rose Avenue. Craven reportedly approached the driver's side of the vehicle and shot "three or four" times into the vehicle.
Craven's attorney Jack Swerling said the former officer believes the shooting was justified and plans to go to trial.
Earlier this year, the City of North Augusta and Edgefield County agreed to pay nearly $1.2 million to Satterwhite’s estate to settle a wrongful-death suit filed the man's family.
