Seneca hires PR firm to handle ‘bombardment’ of media requests

The city of Seneca has hired a public relations firm to help handle a “bombardment” of media requests for information in the aftermath of the July 26 fatal shooting of an unarmed 19-year-old by a Seneca police officer, a city official said.

Questions to the city from The Greenville News on how much the service is costing and seeking more details weren’t answered as of late Friday.

“The city of Seneca, through the police department, through my office, through the city attorney’s office, through elected officials, has been inundated with phone calls, emails, and requests for all kinds of interviews and information,” City Administrator Greg Diettreck said in a statement released by the PR firm.

“With our limited staff, and time spent on other daily responsibilities, we have tried to be as responsive as possible. Although we’ve been criticized by others as nonresponsive, personally, I think we’ve done as best as possible based on the circumstances,” he said. “But we can’t keep up with the continuous bombardment of requests and allegations.”

The story has gained national attention as police use of deadly force has become an issue across the country.

The city hired Greenville-based Complete Public Relations to manage media requests.

Lt. Mark Tiller shot and killed Zachary Hammond in the parking lot of Hardee’s in an attempted drug arrest involving a passenger in Hammond’s car. Chief John Covington has said Tiller fired in self-defense, believing Hammond was going to run over him with his car.

Attorneys for Hammond’s family have said autopsy evidence indicates that Tiller couldn’t have been in danger, because of the angle from which he shot.

The State Law Enforcement Division is conducting the official investigation and has not released any information. Federal agencies also are involved in the case.