Three more HCPD officers have been disciplined as probes into Scott Spivey’s killing and investigations continue
Jennifer Foley, at the podium, was surrounded by supporters of her fight for justice for Scott Spivey during Horry County Council’s May 6 meeting. (HCC YouTube Video Screenshot)
By DEUCE NIVEN
tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com
A fast paced week of developments related to the 2023 shooting death of Tabor City resident Scott Spivey on a rural Horry County roadway continued Wednesday morning, May 7, with Horry County Police Department Chief of Police Kris Leonhardt briefing media on an ongoing internal affairs investigation focused on officer conduct in the investigation.
Three Internal Affairs detectives have been assigned to the investigation, Leonhardt said, and last week discovered seven dash cam videos from HCPD units that responded to the shooting scene on Camp Swamp Road in September 2023.
Three officers have been disciplined related to the dash cams, which Leonhardt said were “mislabeled” and not earlier identified as related to the case.
SLED, South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division, is conducting a criminal investigation into possible officer misconduct in the case, and Leonhardt said the newly discovered videos have been given to the state agency.
Because of the ongoing SLED investigation, Leonhardt said he would not discuss the content of those dash cam videos.
Leonhardt was an HCPD deputy chief at the time of Spivey’s killing, but his responsibilities did not include the criminal investigation division, and he said he was not aware of its work on the case.
Appointed chief last October, Leonhardt said he became aware of problems with the case in March and moved quickly to set in motion the ongoing internal affairs investigation, and to ask SLED to investigate.
Leonhardt said he holds himself and the HCPD to a “higher standard” of honesty and integrity. “My officers will be held to that standard. If they can’t hold to that standard, they can’t work here.”
Emotional plea
Leonhardt’s briefing came the morning after Spivey’s sister, Jennifer Foley, spoke before the Horry County Council, its chambers filled with supporters. She renewed her appeal for justice, and was told that Horry County’s legislative delegation has now made a formal request to Gov. Henry McMaster to re-open the officially closed investigation.
A second Horry County Police Department officer was off the job last Wednesday amid allegations of improper conduct during the Spivey investigation, though the HCPD did not specifically link the two.
Sgt. Paul Vescovi was fired following an internal investigation of employee conduct surrounding Spivey’s case, and was fired for unlawful conduct and conduct unbecoming an officer, separation paperwork filed with the South Carolina Justice Academy showed.
Vescovi, a 23-year veteran of the HCPD, is also under a criminal investigation, but has not been charged with a crime, that paperwork showed.
Multiple news outlets reported later last week on body cam footage from Vescovi at the scene of the shooting that when carefully viewed and paused revealed a note reading “Act like a victim. Camera,” that the officer showed to Weldon Boyd and Bradley Williams, who shot Spivey multiple times but were never charged with a crime.
Family members of Spivey and others have questioned the “self-defense” determination made by state investigators and prosecutors in the case.
Foley has forcefully called for a new or renewed investigation after receiving hundreds of documents, audio and video recordings, and other evidence as part of the discovery process filed against Boyd and Williams.
Deputy Chief Brandon Strickland resigned from the HCPD on March 11 as an internal investigation into his role in the Spivey case was beginning.
Recordings of telephone conversations between Strickland and Boyd, who owns Buoys on the Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach, were obtained by Foley and showed the two in contact in the minutes after the shooting, the high ranking officer saying he was working “in the shadows” to protect his friend.
A State Law Enforcement Division investigation into Strickland’s role in the Spivey investigation has been confirmed by the state agency.
Look for much more on this story in today’s Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.
