The mother of a 13-year-old South Carolina boy who admitted to fatally shooting a police K9 officer will now face charges for her son’s alleged crime.

Shameka Williams, 34, will be the first person to be charged with accessory after the fact under the state’s Parent Accountability Initiative, which aims to hold parents accountable for their kids’ violent crimes, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced last week.

Other charges parents could face under the initiative include unlawful conduct, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, misprision, and obstruction.

Newsweek has contacted the Richland County Sheriff’s Office by email for comment.

Why It Matters

Williams’ son pleaded guilty to killing Richland County Sheriff K9 Bumi, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, on December 23.

The sheriff’s office’s new approach comes as other states have taken legal action against parents whose kids commit violent crimes. In April, Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley, became the first parents convicted in a US mass school shooting. They are spending at least 10 years in prison for missing opportunities that could have prevented their teenage son from possessing a gun and killing four students in 2021.

Colin Gray, the Georgia father of suspected Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, Colin was indicted on 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from his son’s alleged crime.

What To Know

Lott said surveillance footage showed Williams picking up her son around 3 a.m., shortly after K9 Bumi was shot following a police pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

Deputies pursued a vehicle that refused to stop, eventually using stop sticks to stop it. K9 Specialist Alan Ware and his dog, Bumi, chased two suspects on foot. Bumi ran ahead, out of sight, and moments later, deputies heard five gunshots. They found Bumi shortly after.

A 16-year-old and 17-year-old Damian Brown were also arrested in connection to the Bumi’s death.

Lott claimed Williams helped hide her son from law enforcement by driving him home. During a search of their home, officers found his shoes hidden in the attic and his clothes in the washing machine.

Lott also revealed that the sheriff’s office will soon sue Williams for damages caused by her son’s alleged actions.

“Next week we’re going to file a lawsuit, in Lexington County, against this mom (Williams). And not only is she going to face the criminal charges, she’s going to face the civil liability also,” Lott said during a press conference last week, adding that the department will seek damages up to $5,000.

What People Are Saying

Lott during a January 3 press conference: “If [the parents aren’t] going to hold their kids accountable, then we’re going to hold their kids accountable. The community’s sick of it, I’m sick of it, we’re all sick of it.”

Criminal defense attorney Rhodes Bailey to WLTX on how the new initiative could hold up in court: “The sheriff is a savvy operator, and what he’s trying to do is he’s trying to create a deterrent. Whether or not this would hold up in court, remains to be seen, because I have not seen law enforcement file a civil action against a parent for their child’s crimes before.”

What Happens Next

Williams’ son remains in South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice custody and is expected to be sentenced next month.

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