Mother of slain Greenville cyclist frustrated over lack of information from police

The mother of a Greenville cyclist is frustrated that she has been unable to get answers from Greenville police about the events leading up to her son's death.

Virginia Oliver, whose son, Whit Oliver, 44, died in a shooting near Legacy Park on Mother's Day, said she believes the alleged shooter was no stranger to the Greenville Police Department. She also said officers had been warned about the man's unusual, abrasive behavior as recent as two weeks before the shooting.

Virginia Oliver said she believes her son interacted with Jeffrey Mark Murray, 62, in the past and that neighbors in the Hollingsworth Park area had grown familiar with him and his apparent confrontations with passersby and park-goers.

Whit Oliver died May 9. A short while after he was shot, officers exchanged gunfire with Murray, who died in the shootout.

Virginia Oliver said Murray was described by people in the park as someone who wore military-style boots and vests, and who said he was a "targeted individual."

"And he not only said that to my son. That’s the kind of stuff he antagonized park-goers about for six years," Oliver said.

The New York Times in 2016 reported on people who call themselves "targeted individuals." They often believe there are government operatives secretly stalking them with mind-control weapons.

Virginia Oliver said she believes Greenville police overlooked and downplayed prior concerns and calls to police regarding Murray in the past. But she has been unable to get more information about the incident.

"They should have followed that guy like a hawk and known his every move, and (Whit Oliver) would be alive today if they had done that," Virginia Oliver said.

A criminal background check showed Murray had no prior criminal convictions in South Carolina, according to records obtained from the State Law Enforcement Division.

According to property records, Murray lived about six miles east of Whit Oliver's neighborhood that is near Verdae Boulevard.

Whit Oliver suffered of multiple gunshot wounds, according to an initial incident report provided by the Greenville Police Department, which includes a one-line narrative: "I arrived at the incident location in response to a disturbance call."

Minutes later, Murray, died after exchanging gunfire with police officers, who managed to stop him outside a nearby Greenville Fire Department station, Thompson told the media during a press conference following the shooting. The police department also sent The News an incident report specific to the officer-involved shooting. The narrative portion of the report was entirely blank.

The Greenville News has submitted records requests for copies of 911 calls, body camera footage, surveillance camera footage and additional supplemental reports along with any past calls for service and reports associated with Murray or the harassment issues in the Hollingsworth Park area.

The Greenville Police Department has declined requests to produce all reports documenting the location, nature and substance of the case. State statute calls for agencies to make such documents available for public inspection any time during the 14 days following an incident. "This is still an active investigation," agency spokesperson Lt. Alia Paramore said in an email about those documents.

A criminal matter involving an ongoing investigation is not in and of itself a valid exemption to withholding public documents under state law, according to attorney Taylor Smith, who represents the South Carolina Press Association and who has represented The Greenville News in other open records cases, including a pending lawsuit against the Greenville County School District.

"It is typical for law enforcement to create a report when an officer or deputy is dispatched in these instances, but it is also unfortunately common for law enforcement to then say that they don’t have to give all these reports over to an interested party," Smith told The News.

Virginia Oliver spoke with The Greenville News following her son's memorial to express her grief, confusion and concern over the lack of answers she's received from the Greenville Police Department. She also said Police Chief Howie Thompson has denied a request to meet with her.

Thompson did not return phone messages or emails seeking comment Friday.

Oliver contacted The News to express her frustration after a story published on May 19 detailed how police have not met the requirements of the state's Freedom of Information Act.

A memorial for Whit Oliver was held Thursday in Travelers Rest. Memorial bike rides and fundraisers have also been held since Oliver's May 9 death. A gofundme.org fundraiser had raised more than $60,000 as of Friday for his son Bay's education expenses.

"I want the world to know there was no finer person on this earth," Virginia Oliver said. "He was a kind-loving person who loved everybody he met. That was true form the time he was a child."

Whit Oliver was an avid cyclist who was active in the Greenville and Upstate cycling communities.

Cycling was his passion. So much that he turned down a $50,000 scholarship at the University of South Carolina for a master's degree in international business to instead race professionally in Europe and put himself through a Master's Degree program in Paris, France, Virginia Oliver said.

"He had friends all over the world, really," Virginia Oliver said. "He viewed others before himself. ... If we had more people like that this would be a totally different place to live."

Daniel J. Gross is an investigative watchdog reporter focusing on public safety and law enforcement for The Greenville News. Reach him at dgross@greenvillenews.com or on Twitter @danieljgross. Subscribe to The Greenville News at greenvillenews.com/subscribe.