FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — The estate of Scott Spivey has filed a federal lawsuit against Horry County, along with a slew of current and former police department employees, including its former chief, one day before the third anniversary of Spivey’s death.
The 44-page complaint, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Florence, claims Horry County, former police chief Joseph Hill, and several officers steered the investigation into Spivey’s death to protect the department and its employees. Spivey, 33, died Sept. 9, 2023, at the hands of North Myrtle Beach business owner Weldon Boyd during a road-rage incident.
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The federal complaint also alleges officials abused and mistreated Spivey’s body, resulting in what they call “utter misconduct.” Police found Spivey dead in his front seat, hunched over his center console, with a handgun just underneath his hand, according to an incident report.
Authorities quickly ruled Boyd acted in self-defense, and he has never been criminally charged. The complaint claims that shortly after the shooting, Boyd called then-HCPD deputy chief Brandon Strickland, who reassured Boyd that everything would be OK…