On Saturday, December 3, Henry County Deputy Carlos Lopez was forced to discharge his weapon during a domestic dispute at 710 North Main Street in Mount Pleasant. In a December 14 letter from the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, it was determined that the shooting was justified.

Multiple pieces of evidence were reviewed regarding the incident, including 911 audio, body camera footage, and transcripts and reports by the Division of Criminal Investigation. It was established through the evidence that once on scene, Deputy Lopez observed the female subject, Samantha Shumaker pointing a firearm at the male subject, Steven Lovell, while shouting “I will shoot you”. Upon ordering Shumaker to drop the weapon and raise her hands several times, Lopez was forced to discharge his weapon five times, hitting Shumaker once in the hand.

Following the shooting, Deputy Lopez entered the residence and provided medical assistance to Shumaker, applying a combat tourniquet. The Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, who was requested to conduct this review to avoid a conflict of interest, determined that Lopez used appropriate force under the circumstances to eliminate a threat, then acted swiftly to provide necessary aid to the injured party.