Greenville County Sheriff’s Office
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The fatal shooting of a drug dealer in South Carolina is the subject of a wrongful death lawsuit in South Carolina against the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
The estate of Justin Barrett McCarrell sued Oct. 30 in federal court over a sting conducted by GCSO and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that led to his death. McCarrell was buying $200,000 worth of cocaine from a Mexican cartel but drew a gun and attempted to rob what he thought were cartel members who were actually DHS agents.
McCarrell fled and was shot and killed on Nov. 7, 2023. He was 36 years old.
“At the time he was shot, Mr. McCarrell was either exiting or had already exited the residence and faced immediate apprehension by multiple deputies and officers waiting outside,” the lawsuit says.
“Nevertheless, Defendant (Deputy Matthew Broad) and others recklessly shouted conflicting commands, compelling Mr. McCarrell to turn back toward them – provoking the very movement they later used to justify deadly force.”
DHS contacted McCarrell to purchase 15 kilograms of cocaine – a deal to be finalized at an Airbnb rental on Carver Street in Greenville. DHS and sheriff deputies should have known McCarrell would arm himself because of the amount of money involved, the suit says.
News reports say McCarrell managed to lock one DHS agent outside, which left him and another agent alone. The suit says McCarrell pulled a gun and attempted to steal the cocaine.
The DHS agent identified himself and attempted to shoot McCarrell, but his gun misfired. McCarrell dropped the cocaine and took off with his gun in his left hand, and deputies who were watching a surveillance feed chased.
Shouts of “Stop” gave way to sounds of gunfire from Broad, who fired eight rounds that struck McCarrell multiple times. Broad is accused of the fatal shots when McCarrell turned his head in response to the instructions to “stop.”
The lawsuit claims Broad continued to shoot after McCarrell fell and lost his gun.
“At that point, no reasonable officer could have feared for his safety,” the suit says. “Mr. McCarrell was unarmed, falling and incapacitated, yet Defendant Broad continued to fire repeatedly into his back.”
Bakari Sellers of Strom Law Firm in Columbia represents the plaintiff.