Medal of Honor recipient charged with hit and run

The Columbia Police Department has charged Kyle Carpenter, the Medal of Honor recipient from South Carolina, with a hit and run, the agency announced Thursday.

The charge comes from an incident that happened on December 8 in Columbia.

Carpenter, who was honored for his actions in Afghanistan, struck a man crossing Assembly Street at the crosswalk at Blossom Street at around 8:30 p.m., according to police.

Investigators say Carpenter pulled over and turned on his hazard lights, but did not exit the vehicle to exchange required information or render aid. The pedestrian then stood up and walked over to the side of the road, and officers say Carpenter drove away.

The man who was hit then went inside the Strom Thurmond Fitness Center, and police and EMS responded to the scene. The man suffered abrasions and a leg injury.

While he did receive treatment at the scene, he refused to be taken to the hospital. Officers say he will make a full recovery.

Police say witness statements, surveillance tapes and other evidence led them to conclude that the vehicle was Carpenter's. They say when they contacted Carpenter he made a full statement to them, and that both he and the victim have been fully cooperative in the investigation.

In a statement, police also noted that neither the man who was struck nor Carpenter were under the influence of any alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident.

Carpenter has formally been charged with a hit and run involving personal injury and making an improper left turn. The collision remains under investigation.

Carpenter received the Medal of Honor for his actions while serving in Afghanistan during a mission to drive the Taliban out of their strongholds.

On November 21, 2010, Carpenter and fellow Marine Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio were standing guard on a rooftop in the Helmand Province when a hand grenade was thrown at their location. Carpenter jumped on the enemy device, saving Eufrazio's life.

Carpenter lost his right eye, and suffered injuries that one doctor described as ranging from his head to his feet. On the operating table, he flatlined three times, but came back each time.

He spent the next two and a half years in a hospital, requiring nearly 40 surgeries, including skin grafts and a procedure to remove shrapnel from his brain.

He later enrolled as a student at the University of South Carolina.