Feds to investigate death of teen during attempted drug bust

The department’s civil rights division, the FBI office in Columbia, South Carolina, and the U.S. attorney for the state have launched the probe into the shooting of 19-year-old Zachary Hammond, Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson announced Wednesday.

Seneca police Lt. Mark Tiller has said he shot Hammond during the bust because he felt threatened as the teen drove his auto at him.

It has not been made clear, however, exactly why police converged on Hammond’s vehicle – as he wasn’t the target of any criminal investigation or sting operation.

“We just want answers”, pleaded Angie Harmon.

“Our son deserves that, and we deserve that as a family”, Paul Hammond told reporters.

Police say Hammond had driven a 23-year-old woman to the parking lot to buy marijuana from an undercover cop, the AP said.

The officer accused of shooting Hammond has been put on administrative leave.

Hammond was shot by a police officer on July 26 while in the parking lot of a Hardee’s fast-food restaurant in Seneca, according to Eric Bland, one of the attorneys representing the late teen’s family.

The lieutenant fired twice through an open side window.

Hammond’s family and attorney have lamented the lack of public outcry, contrasting the case with the high-profile killings of unarmed black men that have sparked nationwide protests. “He didn’t have his wallet on him, so they didn’t know who he was”.