On Christmas Eve 1992 a domestic disturbance on Heyward Brockington Road in Richland County, South Carolina, ended with the death of Deputy Sheriff Edward Joseph Alva. Alva, 27, was a four-year veteran of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department who had previously served a year with the Alaska State Troopers. He and Deputy Lonnie Rolls responded to a call involving a mentally ill man; during a physical struggle the man reportedly seized Deputy Alva’s firearm.

Accounts say Deputy Alva ordered his partner to shoot the man, but Deputy Rolls struck the subject over the head with his own gun. The blow caused the weapon to discharge and the bullet fatally struck Deputy Alva in the head. The death was treated as a tragic accident and no criminal charges were filed against Deputy Rolls. Alva was survived by two daughters, his parents, and a sister.

Years later the estate, on behalf of Alva’s minor children, sued Sheriff Allen Sloan alleging failures in training and regulation that led to Alva’s death; the court later dismissed the claim on the ground that the shooting, while tragic, did not amount to a Fourth Amendment misuse of force. Does anyone have additional information about the response that night or about Alva’s career in the department?