Connie Garber says she is seeking justice for her deceased son, Brian Garber, who was killed in an exchange with Richland County Sheriff deputies. Garber, 28, of Lexington, was shot and killed by an unnamed deputy on March 16 after officers responded to a 911 call reporting that Garber was armed.
As a way of demonstrating her fight for justice, Connie Garber, along with many others, convened at the front of the Richland County Courthouse Thursday morning, holding signs with the message “Justice for Brian.”
Maj. Joe Masi with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office stated Thursday morning that an internal investigation of the case is still ongoing. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling the crime scene investigation.
“There needs to be a change in the corruption in this county,” said Garber. “They shot my son; they murdered my son sitting in a room. They didn’t even ask him his name. They went in there and just filled his body full of bullets, and why? Because they’re always getting away with their corruption and it’s time for change and we’re going to put a stop to it.”
Some nearby motorists honked their horns in affirmation of the cause. Others picked up a sign and joined the protest.
Garber said that she was familiar with some of the protesters, “but a lot of them I won’t know,” she said.
Deanna Conrad, a friend of the Garber family and county resident, said she participated in the protest to show support for the family and stated, “Changes have been needed for a long, long time.” She clarified, “Changes with the corruption in the county. It’s too bad it had to come to this.”
Similar feelings were voiced by Phil Sydnor, another friend of the family and county resident. “I’m really sick of all the crap that’s going on in this building,” he said while pointing to the county courthouse. “There’s no justice.”
“We’ve got crime running rampant in the county. It’s nuts.”
Tod Mills of Ashland has no relation with the Garbers; however, he said he wanted to take part in the cause “because I think there’s big injustice and what appears to be stonewalling by law enforcement,” he said.
Garber said the protest was a one-day demonstration, “but we might be doing it a whole lot more,” she said.
“I don’t care how far I go…My son should not have had to die.”
