Senator recounts fatal ambush of Darlington deputy and introduces bill to cover non‑vested officers
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Summary
A senator from Darlington described the July 1 ambush that killed Deputy Devin Mason and said he will press for a bill to provide a one‑time lump‑sum benefit to officers who die in the line of duty before they vest in the state retirement system. The measure was introduced and referred to the Finance Committee.
A senator from Darlington recounted a pre‑dawn ambush on July 1 in which Deputy Devin Mason was shot and killed and two fellow deputies were wounded, and urged the state to act to support families of officers who had not yet vested in the South Carolina retirement system.
"When the corner of your county is calling you at 02:00 in the morning, you know that there is only bad news on the other end of that line," the senator said, recounting the phone call he received and the report that "about 2 hours ago, deputies serving a warrant in the Oates area were ambushed. 1 of them shot dead." He identified the fallen deputy as 27 years old, recently engaged and the father of a newborn son.
The senator said the family received no state retirement benefits because the deputy had not yet vested in the state system and that Darlington County provided support to the family. "Darlington County stepped forward and made sure that his family was taken care of in their most vulnerable time. But Darlington County never should have had to do that," he said.
The reading clerk later announced the introduction of a bill by Senator Chaplin that, according to the clerk's reading, "would allow the state of South Carolina to take care of officers killed in the line of duty who had not yet vested themselves in the retirement system of South Carolina" by providing a one‑time lump‑sum payment. The clerk said the measure was referred to the Finance Committee.
The senator asked that his remarks be printed in the Senate journal; Senator Martin secured unanimous consent for that request. The senator closed his remarks by saying he hoped the state would never need to use the measure but that the legislation is intended to close a gap he described as unfair to families of newly hired officers.
Next steps: the clerk recorded the bill and referred it to the Finance Committee for consideration. No vote on the substantive measure occurred during this session.
