Dashcam video captured the moment a routine traffic stop in South Carolina escalated into a shootout that left one deputy shot three times.
On Sunday, May 7, Charleston County Deputy Evan Cubbage, 36, pulled over a vehicle on U.S. Highway 17 near Ravenel, South Carolina around 3:45 p.m. After several minutes of cordial communication wherein the deputy informed the undisclosed driver of the vehicle that he had pulled her over for drifting in and out of her lane, backup arrived and the situation dramatically escalated.
“This video is difficult to watch,” Sheriff Kristin Graziano said in a statement with the release of dashcam video that showed Deputy Alexander Hodge approaching after Cubbage asked 28-year-old James Rakeem Pierce to exit the vehicle.
While claiming “I’m not reaching for nothing,” Pierce was identified as having a gun sending the deputies retreating for cover as they moved to return fire.
Warning: Graphic
Having already been shot multiple times, Cubbage fired into the vehicle from the driver’s side, appearing to strike Pierce, before circling back to the passenger side as the assailant continued to fire in Hodge’s direction. At that time, Cubbage neutralized the threat before seeing to his own wounds
“I am angered by the violence directed at those who lay their lives on the line daily to protect our citizens. The deputies’ advanced training prevented us from having to bury one of our own,” Graziano’s statement continued. “They acted appropriately and professionally under fire from a convicted felon who was illegally carrying a firearm. I am so thankful that these deputies were able to return home to their families. We are thankful for the community’s support.”
Video of the incident also showed the unnamed driver slowly flee from the vehicle only to remain standing on the sidelines evidently in shock as to what was happening around her. In the aftermath, Cubbage can be heard stating that he had been struck at least two times as he worked to put a tourniquet on his leg before medics arrived and confirmed Pierce had died. It was later reported that he had actually been struck three times, but was released from the hospital the same night.
“We were very, very, very lucky today that these two deputies survived this incident,” Graziano said.
Per agency protocol, WCSC reported both deputies were placed on paid administrative leave until investigators clear them to return to duty. Cubbage became a member of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in August 2020, and Hodge in December 2018.
A press release from South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division spokesperson Renée Wunderlich noted the incident was the 11th officer involved shooting in South Carolina for 2023 and the first for the county. There had only been one such shooting in the county for all of 2022 when the state had experienced 32 overall.
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Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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