Accident – death – Obituary News :

The Spartanburg County Coroner Identifies Man Fatally Shot by Spartanburg Methodist College Campus Security

The Spartanburg County Coroner has officially identified the man who was shot and killed by Spartanburg Methodist College campus security in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The deceased has been identified as Victor Figueroa Roblero, aged 48, according to an email sent by county coroner, Rusty Clevenger, on Thursday afternoon. Roblero’s identity was confirmed through fingerprints obtained from the National Crime Information Center. The fatal incident occurred at 1:05 a.m. on Monday, January 1.

A spokesperson for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Agency (SLED), Renée Wunderlich, revealed in a press release issued on Tuesday that an armed SMC campus safety officer encountered a white Ford F-150 driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street within the college campus. Upon attempting to arrest the male driver, later identified as Roblero, a physical altercation broke out between the officer and Roblero, ultimately leading to the officer shooting him. Fortunately, no law enforcement officers were injured in the incident, but the campus safety officer did require medical treatment at a hospital for the injuries sustained during the altercation. Following the incident, SMC Campus Safety promptly requested SLED to conduct an investigation.

Earlier today, Clevenger disclosed that his office had been working with several other agencies, some from out-of-state, in an effort to locate Roblero’s family. Unfortunately, Roblero’s address remains unknown at this time. Clevenger previously refrained from releasing Roblero’s identity due to difficulties in contacting his next-of-kin for proper notification. However, he did confirm that the deceased individual was not a police officer on the day of the incident.

Previously: Spartanburg Methodist Campus Safety Officer Shoots and Kills Man During Arrest Attempt, SLED Reports

A comprehensive forensic autopsy was conducted on January 2, as stated by Clevenger. The coroner, when questioned by the Herald-Journal, declined to disclose the exact number of times Roblero was shot during the fatal encounter. It is important to note that at the time of the incident, SMC’s campus was closed for winter break and only reopened on January 3, as indicated on the college’s website. Jeremy Handel, the Director of Marketing Communications for the college, confirmed in an email to the Herald-Journal that the incident unfolded shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day, with no students present on campus at that time.

The shooting incident marked the first involving law enforcement in South Carolina for the year 2024, according to SLED. Notably, of the 43 shootings involving law enforcement that occurred last year, none were attributed to SMC Campus Safety.

Chalmers Rogland covers public safety for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and USA Today Network. Contact him via email at crogland@gannett.com.

.