Former Summerville officer accused of murder to ask judge for bond

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A former Summerville police officer indicted for shooting and killing a man during a dispute outside a Chick-fil-A restaurant is expected to ask a judge for bond.

The defense team representing 64-year-old Anthony DeLustro is expected to ask a Berkeley County judge to grant him bond during a Monday afternoon hearing.

It comes after DeLustro was denied bond back in August after circuit court judge Deadra Jefferson determined the former officer was a danger to the community.

DeLustro was working off-duty on the afternoon of March 20, 2024, when authorities said he got into an altercation with Michael O’Neal at the Chick-fil-A on North Main Street in Summerville.

At some point during the scuffle, DeLustro told O’Neal that he was under arrest, pulled out his Summerville Police Department credentials from his back pocket, and presented them before the items fell to the ground, including DeLustro’s handgun which fell from his holster onto the pavement.

Bystander video shows O’Neal disengaging from the situation and walking back to his vehicle. A witness reportedly heard the victim say he wanted to leave.

DeLustro followed O’Neal to his vehicle, opened the passenger side door, and attempted to get into O’Neal’s vehicle. Authorities said DeLustro then fired his weapon when O’Neal tried to drive away.

O’Neal was killed at the scene. Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell said O’Neal suffered a gunshot wound to the right arm that traveled to the chest.