Matthew Martin

Deadly force

A deputy sheriff in Georgetown County, South Carolina, observed Martin in a place that made her suspect he was planning to dump trash illegally. When she approached to investigate, Martin fled in his truck. A second deputy saw Martin about fifteen minutes later and began pursuing him. This other chase culminated at an intersection where Dishong and another deputy set up a roadblock. The deputies assert that when Martin reached the roadblock, he rammed Dishong's other, backed up, collided with the other again, backed up a second time, and then drove forward toward Dishong's other once more. Martin's wife alleges that Martin collided with Dishong's other accidentally and then tried to turn away from the roadblock. It is undisputed that Dishong fired several shots at Martin during these events, that the other two deputies fired at his tires, and that a shot fired by Doug Dishong caused Martin's death.