Fatal Upstate Shooting Ruled Self-Defense

A Nov. 10 shooting that led to suspected retribution and a vigil in a Greer community is ruled self-defense.

Greer police said Justin Dillard entered a home in the Sunnyside community at Victor Court Apartments at about 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 10.

They say he started talking with Rusty Jones, a man later identified as a person of interest in the case.

Jones, three other adults and five children were in the home.

Dillard, Greer Police say, pulled a chrome handgun, pointed it at Jones and told him he was going to shoot Jones in the head.

A bystander stepped between the two men, police say, in a bid to defuse the situation.

Jones then pulled a black handgun out of his pocket and shot Dillard four times.

Dillard collapsed in the front yard of the home while Jones fled through the back door, police say.

Greer Police, Spartanburg County Sheriff's officers and the South Carolina Highway Patrol were dispatched to the scene amid reports of 200 people who had gathered at the scene. Several fights followed, according to reports.

About 15 to 20 law enforcement officers were at the scene for most of the night as tensions ran high. 

Just hours after the shooting, someone set a car on fire at a home on Sunnyside Drive, and police think the arson was retaliation for the shooting.

Greer Police and other law enforcement agencies asked for help in finding Jones on Nov. 11, calling him a person of interest in the case. They didn’t file charges against Jones. Officers said they only wanted to question Jones about the shooting, but said a bench warrant for an unrelated charge was outstanding.

Community leaders and area pastors announced a vigil in remembrance to Dillard on Nov. 12. When the vigil was held on Nov. 14, the same leaders and pastors asked the community to try and move past the violence they said plagued their neighborhood.

Jones turned himself into police the day after the vigil. He was taken into custody and interviewed about the shooting.

Jones related the events of the night to Greer police in what they called a detailed account. Police say his description of what happened matched the statements given by witnesses to the shooting.

Investigators found Dillard’s gun in the front yard beside his body. Jones told police where to find the weapon he used.

Greer Police issued a release announcing the ruling Friday. The release state the 7^th Circuit Solicitor’s Office and the police department reached the self-defense determination after careful review of the evidence.

The release also stated:

“South Carolina law allows for the use of deadly force if someone reasonably believes they are in imminent danger of losing their life or sustaining great bodily injury. State law also allows for someone to use deadly force in the defense of others who are at risk of injury or death.”