A federal judge says a wrongful death lawsuit against the former Laurens County sheriff and two deputies can go forward.
In 2014, David Hooks was shot to death by a Laurens County deputy during a drug raid at his home.
His widow's lawsuit claims the raid was illegal and never should have happened. She said the search warrant was based on false information from a known drug addict.
Sheriff Bill Harrell and the deputies say they did nothing wrong, and they asked Judge Dudley Bowen to throw out the suit.
On Monday, Bowen said there are many factual questions about the raid that should be settled in a trial.
He also wrote that jurors may consider Harrell's credibility for "gratuitously publishing false statements of DNA evidence purporting to link David Hooks" to methamphetamine that was found with the informant.
No trial date has been set on Teresa Hooks lawsuit.
The lawsuit also named deputies Chris Brewer and Steve Vertin.
