Crime
Aiken shooting ruled 'homicide,' chief responds to violence
Posted: 4:06 PM May 18, 2012
Reporter: Carter Coyle
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News 12 First at Five / Friday, May 18, 2012
AIKEN, S.C. -- On Thursday morning, five public safety officers say an armed man began shooting at them inside a home on Cherry Hills Drive.
A call for domestic violence first came in around 10:17 a.m. Officers from the city and deputies from the county responded, entered the home and say they found Craig Jarvis armed inside.
Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton says it appears Jarvis began firing at officers, who then shot back. Carlton says Jarvis' autopsy indicates he was killed by gunshots wounds, both self-inflicted and from officers. Jarvis died in surgery later that day.
Officers say they also found Lynn Carlisle dead inside her home, where the shooting happened. Carlton said her autopsy indicates Carlisle died from gunshots fired by her ex-husband, Jarvis.
In a news conference Friday morning, Aiken Public Safety Director Charles Barranco commended his officers for acting quickly.
"I stand by the actions of our officers who were forced in the line of duty to protect themselves as they bravely entered the home to rescue the victim," he said.
Barranco announced the five officers involved: Master Public Safety Officer Jennifer L. Bickel, Sgt. Craig S. Burgess, Cpl. Jeremy Hembree, Master Public Safety Officer P. Steven Miano and Detective Martin E. Sawyer. Those officers are removed from line-duty assignments while the South Carolna Law Enforcement Division investigates. It is protocol for SLED to review officer-involved shooting incidents.
Meanwhile, many of Jarvis' and Carlisle's friends are left in shock.
"I came today hoping to find some shred of why something like this would happen," explained Rob Johnston, a friend of the couple.
Johnston sat in on the news conference.
"I never witnessed one cross word, not one bad time," he said of the couple. "We've taken several trips with them in the past. I never remember anything remotely ... I just can't even believe he's capable of it. But obviously, he was."
Johnston says Carlisle was an active member of the Aiken community for the past decade.
"She was such a beautiful person. She was always positive, always helping this city, always promoting it," he said.
Barranco also recognized there's been an unusually high number of violent crimes in the City of Aiken recently.
"We are committed and determined to find solutions and answers to the recent acts of violence," he said.
He says even though the events are unrelated to one another, they are very concerned.
"The Aiken Department of Public Safety remains dedicated to our community, its residents and our city," he concluded.
Johnston added, "That [recent crime], doubled with the event yesterday, just really drives home that life is fragile."
Sgt. Burgess had just returned from Police Week in Washington, D.C. Burgess was there to honor MPSO Scotty Richardson who was killed in the line of duty last December.
Jarvis and Carlisle each had two daughters, and various friends and family members told News 12 they'd like to express their sympathy to both families.
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