Pubdate: Tue, 23 May 2000
Source: The Sun News (FL)
Contact: http://www.thesunnews.com/cust/editorial.htm
Website: http://www.thesunnews.com/
Author: Rosanne Howard

ATTORNEY ADVISES SHERIFF NOT TO COMMENT

Report On Shooting Was Released Sunday

GEORGETOWN | A spokesman for the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office Monday 
said Sheriff Lane Cribb would no longer comment on the 80-page SLED report 
released Sunday. The State Law Enforcement Division report dealt with the 
shooting death of Matthew Martin, the Georgetown man killed April 28 
following a chase through a Pawleys Island neighborhood. Cribb's decision 
is based on advice from Jack Scoville, the county attorney, spokesman Bill 
Nichols said. Scoville advised Cribb to avoid making comments because of 
pending litigation. He said Scoville advised Cribb, "Because of pending 
litigation we heard about, it's off limits." Cribb had refused to make 
comments on the investigation while it was ongoing, but said he would 
comment once the report was released.

But Nichols Monday said Cribb's brief news release, issued Sunday with the 
release of the report, would be the extent of Cribb's comments.

In it Cribb said he'd concluded deputies followed proper procedures when 
they shot at Martin. Martin died the following day of a single gunshot 
wound to the head. Hugh Munn, a spokesman for SLED, said the report doesn't 
draw conclusions or make recommendations. Any conclusions Cribb might draw 
from reading the report are his own, he said. He said he'd heard Sunday 
Cribb was releasing the report even though SLED warned against it. We hope 
the warning "means something," Munn said, "but there's nothing we can do 
about it." Nichols said Cribb received permission from Solicitor Greg 
Hembree to release the report.

But Hembree said releasing the report before decisions are made about 
possible criminal indictments is "not the way I'd do it." Hembree said he'd 
be meeting with Martin's family Thursday. He said he wants the family to 
know he is concerned with finding out the truth about what happened.

John Hilliard, the attorney for Martin's family, said he can't understand 
how Cribb could have reached the conclusions he did. "Eyewitness interviews 
differ substantially from what the deputies said," Hilliard said. Deputies 
interviewed by SLED said they didn't shoot at Martin until he rammed them 
with his Nissan truck and they feared for their lives.

But two eyewitnesses said Martin's truck was already disabled when three 
deputies fired on it with Martin inside. "One officer, the largest and 
tallest in stature, kept moving toward the rear of the pickup, continually 
firing into the cab until he had used his complete arsenal. ... The 
shooting was spontaneous and seemed like it would never cease," said Phil 
Knox, an eyewitness from Pawleys Island. Hilliard said that once the report 
is digested, "There will be a lot of explaining to do. My review is 
inconsistent with the sheriff's press release.

There's no question in my mind there'll be an additional investigation. 
This is not complete." According to Munn, the cocaine found in Martin's 
body during an autopsy was a trace amount and "not enough to quantify."
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