Welfare checks, in the land of the free, can be a death sentence.

York County, SC — In yet another egregious display of police brutality and gross negligence, body cam footage was released this week of police dumping more than 50 rounds into a truck occupied by a suicidal man — whose mother called 911 for help. Trevor Mullinax and his mother, Tammy Beason, are seeking justice for the reckless actions that left Mullinax hospitalized with 9 bullet holes in his body and charged with a crime he claims he did not commit.

York County prosecutors declined to prosecute the deputies, despite their excessive use of force. Mullinax and Beason allege that the deputies acted with complete disregard for human life and failed to de-escalate the situation. Instead of following standard procedures, the deputies “rode in like cowboys from a John Wayne movie,” according to the lawsuit.

The incident began when deputies were called to a wellness check for Mullinax, who was struggling with mental health issues at the time. Mullinax had a hunting gun but never intended to use it on anyone other than himself, as stated in the lawsuit. The deputies arrived on the scene and fired nearly 50 rounds, hitting Mullinax nine times as he sat in his truck. His mother was nearly executed as she stood by his side during the melee.

The lawsuit asserts that at no point did Mullinax raise, point, or move with a weapon in a manner that would justify the use of deadly force by the deputies. Instead, the officers’ actions put everyone at risk, including Beason, who was standing next to the truck when the deputies opened fire. Fortunately, she was not hit.

In a press conference held by the plaintiffs, attorney Justin Bamberg stated, “Nobody was at risk until the cops put them at risk.” The lawsuit also claims that the criminal charges against Mullinax were brought to cover up the deputies’ excessive use of force.

Despite the severity of the allegations, York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson remains unapologetic, insisting that the deputies responded: “appropriately to the threat as they were trained to do.” Tolson went on to blame Mullinax for the incident, stating that if he had made different choices that day, deputies would not have been required to use force.

The hypocrisy and lack of accountability in this case are appalling, and the department’s attempt to charge the victim with a crime to cover their tracks is even worse.

“The criminal charges were brought against Plaintiff Mullinax due to the horrific nature of the shooting and the need to attempt to justify and/or provide ‘cover’ to Sheriff’s deputies for the utter excessive use of deadly force exhibited by Sheriff’s deputies,” the lawsuit states.

As the video below illustrates, and as frequent readers of The Free Thought Project know, welfare checks, in the land of the free, can be a death sentence.

Article posted with permission from Matt Agorist