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Wayne Keith Smith Jr.

Age : 37

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 02/02/2021

Location : Ray Blackley Road near Peachtree Road

City : Campobello

County : Spartanburg

State : South Carolina

Agency : Polk County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed in police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE: A Polk County Sheriff's Office deputy attempted to stop Wayne Keith Smith Jr. for a traffic violation in the Green Creek community of Polk County, North Carolina. Smith continued away after the deputy activated emergency lights, and the deputy pursued him across the state line into Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
NARRATIVE:
On 02/02/2021, Wayne Keith Smith Jr., 37, of Campobello, South Carolina, was killed when his vehicle struck a tree during a Polk County Sheriff's Office pursuit that began in North Carolina and continued into Spartanburg County, South Carolina.

Shortly after 9:00 p.m., a Polk County Sheriff's Office deputy attempted to stop Smith for a traffic violation in the Green Creek community of Polk County. According to the Sheriff's Office, Smith continued away when the deputy activated emergency lights and a pursuit followed.

The pursuit continued across the North Carolina-South Carolina state line into Spartanburg County. The Polk County Sheriff's Office initially reported that speeds during the pursuit reached approximately 90 mph.

Smith was traveling west on Ray Blackley Road in Spartanburg County when his vehicle left the left side of the roadway near Peachtree Road and struck a tree. Smith died at the scene.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol investigated the fatal collision. The Spartanburg County Coroner's Office identified the deceased driver as Wayne Smith Jr. of Campobello.

Smith's family subsequently questioned the official account of the pursuit and crash. Family members said they received conflicting information about whether Smith had been pursued and about the speeds involved. The family publicly requested an independent investigation by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The 02/02/2021 Spartanburg County fatality documented by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System corresponds with this independently documented fatal Polk County Sheriff's Office pursuit. The date, county and single fatality match the crash that killed Wayne Keith Smith Jr.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wyff4.com/article/coroner-identifies-driver-killed-while-trying-to-evade-deputies/35405790
https://www.wyff4.com/article/spartanburg-county-family-wants-answers-after-deputy-chase-leads-to-sons-death/35511004
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/spartanburg/name/wayne-smith-obituary?id=7043276