COLUMBIA, S.C. — During the fifth day of protest at the state house, nearly 100 people showed up to voice their concerns about police brutality around the nation.
“I first started coming out here for George and just to protest against police brutality,” says Roderick Haynes, Jr. “But as I started coming out here more, I learned about Joshua Ruffin’s story and after I looked his story up, just to find that this happened right in my city, here in Columbia, and I didn’t know nothing about it.”
Joshua Ruffin, 17, was shot and killed by a Columbia Police officer on April 8th after a police pursuit.
Ruffin’s uncles were present for the protest and say that they haven’t heard anything about the investigation, an investigation that is now closed.
“For the record neither SLED of Columbia police department have let us know anything,” says Timothy Timmons, uncle of Ruffin. “They’ve yet to contact my family, Josh’s mother, Josh’s father anything.”
Timmons described Ruffin as outgoing, the life of the party, and the type of person who brings out smiles in everyone he’s around.
Another one of his uncles says they need answers as to what happened the night Ruffin was killed.
“We wanted the body camera footage,” says Tracy Timmons, uncle of Ruffin. “We needed that ASAP and we wanted to know who the officer was, just to give the family some kind of closure with it, plus the autopsy results. That’s very important to us right now. We need those autopsy results and we also need that body cam footage.”
Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gipson says the investigation is closed and his office now has all of the incident reports, body camera footage and witness statements associated with the case. He says they will review the case and plan on releasing information to the public soon.
Until then, Ruffin’s family as well as protesters, will add his name to the list of black men who have died at the hands of law enforcement.