A former deputy with the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested after a state investigation showed he acted illegally by firing at a woman who fled a traffic stop in March.
Christopher Lamar Williams, 31, was charged Friday with misconduct in office and assault & battery in the first degree. A warrant says Williams fired his weapon as the driver fled, causing the potential for great bodily injury or death to occur. “Williams’ in-car video showed (the driver) took no overt action to endanger Williams other than fleeing from the traffic stop,” the warrant says.
He was fired after the shooting, as the sheriff’s office turned the case over to the State Law Enforcement Division. SLED filed the criminal charges Friday, and Williams was released on bond.
Deputy Williams shot his weapon during a confrontation with driver Brittany Norton.
A sheriff’s report spells out what happened after Deputy Williams pulled Norton over March 7 on Schley Street in Warrenville. The officer said he observed the woman fail to maintain lane.
From the report: “Dep. Williams made a traffic stop at the intersection of Schley Street and Howlandville Rd. Upon approach of the vehicle Dep. Williams met with the driver/subject and sole occupant of the vehicle to get her driver’s license. Dep. Williams immediately could detect a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside of the vehicle. Dep. Williams asked the subject to step out of the vehicle and when she refused he opened the door to make her step out of the vehicle.
“The subject started to fight with Dep. Williams and started to drive off with him still in the vehicle. Dep. Williams fired one shot into the vehicle striking the rear post of the SUV. The driver then fled the scene driving up Schley Street. Dep. Williams followed in behind the subject who was now failing to stop for blue lights. Dep. Muszall was arriving as the pursuit continued up Schley Street. The subject then pulled off on the side of the road in the 200 block of Schley Street. The subject was detained without incident.
“Search incident to arrest found two blue in color pills with the numbers B706 later identified as Alprazolam, a Schedule IV substance in a tan pill bottle in the front passenger seat. Upon R/O arrival, R/O inspected the vehicle and found a single gunshot to the rear of the vehicle and a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.”
Deputy Williams was the same officer who arrested Norton in the past for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. That charge was later dismissed, according to online records.
Norton was charged with failure to stop for blue light and possession of a controlled substance. A family member previously went on Facebook to claim that Norton was simply trying to drive to a safer location and was worried after being handled roughly by this officer in the past.
Deputy Williams had been with the agency since December 2021.
