Florence, South Carolina shooting
| Florence, South Carolina shooting | |
|---|---|
| Location | Florence, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Date | October 3, 2018 |
| Weapons | 7.62x51mm Federal Ordnance M14 rifle |
| Deaths | 1 |
Non-fatal injuries | 11 |
Suspected perpetrator | Fred Hopkins |
On October 3, 2018, seven law enforcement officers were shot and five civilians were injured in Florence, South Carolina, United States.[1] One of the officers, Terrence Carraway, a 30-year veteran of the Florence Police Department, was killed.[2]
Incident
Officers arrived at the home of Fredrick Hopkins, to serve a search warrant for adopted son, Seth Hopkins, for sexual assault. [3] At about 4:30 pm EDT [8:30 pm GMT] the suspect opened fire at officers.[4] According to the Richland County Sheriff the officers were ambushed by the suspect,[5] and that when three officers exited their vehicle to walk to the house, they were shot at without warning. Florence County Emergency Management Officials said reports of "shots fired and officer down" were issued and responded too at 4:37 EDT, and that the suspect had barricaded himself inside the home with an unspecified amount of children.[6] Due to the amount of rounds being fired at officers it took officers about 30 minutes to get an armored vehicle close to evacuate the wounded officers.[7]
Victims
Three female Florence County Deputies and three Florence City Police officers were wounded, with an armored vehicle utilized as a method to rescue downed officers during the shoot-out.[8] An individual inside the home was also shot according to local reporters,[9] with four other civilians reported as being injured.[10] The slain officer was identified as Sgt. Terrance Carraway, 52 years old and a 30-year veteran of the Florence Police Department.[11]
Suspects
Fred Hopkins
The suspect, 74-year old Fred Hopkins, a Vietnam War veteran and a former lawyer who was disbarred in 1982, was arrested at the scene before being taken to the hospital for a head injury. On October 5, police charged Hopkins with one count of murder and six counts of attempted murder.[9] A magistrate denied bond for Fred Hopkins on the murder count and the attempted murder charges so that a global bond could be applied to all charges on a later date.[12]
Seth Hopkins
Seth Hopkins, Fred Hopkins' son, who was subject to the initial search warrant before the incident, was charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor between the ages of 11 and 14.[13] The warrant released on October 11, detailed that Seth Hopkins had engaged with sexual intercourse, activity/fondling and comments to a female child on several occasions between September 2017 and October 2018.[14]
Aftermath
Investigation
The Richmond County Sheriff's office took over the investigation on October 4, and 25 agents from the FBI Evidence Response Team were at the scene to assist deputies on October 5.[13] The Richland County Sheriff told reporters that the incident would have occurred irregardless as; "The officers did absolutely nothing wrong. This was an ambush you can't prevent."[12]
Memorials
Two official crowdfunding campaigns for those wounded were endorsed by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association, were launched as well as separate campaigns through the City of Florence Police Benevolent Fund and the City of Florence website.[13] Neighborhoods utilized blue light bulbs and flags to honor the deceased and injured victims, and food deliveries were sent to the families of officers who were hospitalized.[15] A former officer created a thin blue line American flag that was signed by different police departments across the country, that was to be presented to the family of fallen officer Sgt. Carraway.[16]
References
- ↑ CNN, Hollie Silverman,. "1 law enforcement officer killed in Florence, South Carolina, 6 others wounded". CNN. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ↑ Kristin Lam (October 4, 2018). "'Fire was being shot all over': 6 officers hurt, 1 dead in South Carolina shooting". USA Today. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ↑ CNN, Dakin Andone, Nick Valencia and Nicole Chavez,. "Deputies called to say they were coming. They didn't expect an ambush". CNN. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- ↑ "South Carolina: Police shooting suspect is Vietnam war veteran". BBC News. 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- ↑ abrown@postandcourier.com, Andrew Knapp and Andrew Brown aknapp@postandcourier.com. "SC officials: Gunman knew police were coming to investigate sex assault. 'Ambush' ensued". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- ↑ Berman, Mark; Rosenberg, Eli (October 4, 2018). "7 officers shot, 1 fatally, after attempt to serve warrant in South Carolina". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
- ↑ "Frederick Hopkins ambushed officers who were coming to question son: sheriff". KNXV. 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- ↑ "South Carolina shooting suspect posted about loving "the smell of gunpowder" on Facebook". Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- 1 2 WPDE, TONYA BROWN,. "Accused shooter charged in connection to deadly Florence officer-involved shooting". WPDE. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- ↑ EndPlay (2018-10-04). "SC OFFICERS SHOT SUSPECT IDENTIFIED: Gunman identified in SC shooting that left 1 officer dead, 11 wounded". WSBTV. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
- ↑ "Details emerge about "bravest police officer" slain in South Carolina shooting". Retrieved 2018-10-05.
- 1 2 Lang, Alex (October 5, 2018). "Here is the latest update in the Florence police shooting investigation". charlotteobserver. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
- 1 2 3 Wilkie, Matthew Ablon, Dal Kalsi, Ella. "Bond denied for accused Florence shooter, son facing child sex charge". FOX Carolina News. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- ↑ WBTW (2018-10-11). "Warrants reveal details surrounding shooting of 7 Florence law enforcement officers". WBTW. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
- ↑ Fernandez, Briana (2018-10-07). "Community honors fallen, injured Florence law enforcement officers". WBTW. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- ↑ Foster, Liz (2018-10-07). "FLORENCE AMBUSH: Retired officer to deliver blue line flag to family of fallen Florence sergeant". WSOC. Retrieved 2018-10-07.