York Co. Sheriff Kevin Tolson Responds To Trevor Mullinax Lawsuit

YORK, S.C. – The York County Sheriff is responding to a lawsuit filed by a man shot nine times by Deputies.

See full coverage HERE.

Trevor Mullinax says Deputies began firing almost immediately, while responding to a mental health crisis he suffered in 2021.

A clearly frustrated Sheriff Kevin Tolson pushed back against what he called “selected information” presented in the lawsuit.

Trevor Mullinax is suing York County and the York County Sheriff’s Office accusing them of “gross negligence.”

Dash cam video shows what happened when Deputies responded to a welfare check on Highway 324 on May 7th, 2021.

Mullinax says he was sitting in a truck contemplating suicide and talking with his mother when Deputies arrived.

Attorneys for Mullinax say Deputies fired nearly 50 times.

“Please hear me and I cannot say this more clearly than what I’m going to say. If a suspect pulls a weapon on a man or a woman wearing a badge that says the York County Sheriff’s Office, that situation is not going to end well for that suspect,” Tolson said during a news conference on Tuesday.

The two sides dispute whether or not Mullinax pulled or pointed a gun.

But Tolson says Mullinax’s mother admitted to it.

“In her interview with SLED, Tammy Beason stated that she saw Mullinax reach and grab a firearm when Deputies arrived at the truck,” the Sheriff said, “He informed medical personnel that he wanted to shoot himself, but then decided he wanted to have police do it and he grabbed the gun when we arrived.”

The Sheriff also says Mullinax was legally not allowed to have a firearm and had an active warrant for 1st Degree Burglary.

“Our county is experiencing a mental health crisis and it should not fall to police officers to be the first line of response to those in mental distress,” Tolson said.