Florence, South Carolina shooting
Part of mass shootings in the United States
LocationFlorence, South Carolina, United States
DateOctober 3, 2018 (2018-10-03)
4:30 pm (GMT)
WeaponsM14 rifle
Deaths2
Injured10
ConvictedFred Hopkins

On October 3, 2018, seven law enforcement officers were shot and five civilians were injured in Florence, South Carolina, United States.[1] Two officers were killed.[2]

Incident

On October 3, 2018, police officers arrived at the home of Fredrick Hopkins to serve a search warrant for his adopted son, Seth Hopkins, who was wanted on charges of sexual assault.[3] At about 4:30 pm EDT [8:30 pm GMT], Frederick Hopkins allegedly opened fire at officers.[4] According to the Richland County Sheriff, the officers were ambushed by the suspect;[5] 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 to at 4:37 EDT, and that the suspect had barricaded himself inside the home with an unspecified number of children.[6] Owing to the number of rounds being fired at officers, it took officers about 30 minutes to get an armored vehicle close enough to evacuate the wounded officers.[7]

Victims

Two 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 officers were identified as Sgt. Terrence Carraway, 52 years old and a 30-year veteran of the Florence Police Department,[11] and Investigator Farrah Turner, 36 years old and a 12-year veteran of the Florence County Sheriff's Office.[12]

Convicted

Fred Hopkins

The suspect, 74-year-old Fred Hopkins, 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.[13] On October 12, 2023, Hopkins pleaded guilty in the shooting and was sentenced to two life sentences plus 150 years in prison.[14][15]

Seth Hopkins

Seth Hopkins, Fred Hopkins' adopted 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.[16] The warrant, released on October 11, detailed that Seth Hopkins had engaged in sexual intercourse, activity/fondling and made inappropriate comments towards a female child on several occasions between September 2017 and October 2018.[17][18] Hopkins later pled guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and is currently imprisoned in the Ridgeland Correctional Institution.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]

Aftermath

Investigation

The Richland County Sheriff's Office of Columbia, SC, took over the investigation on October 4, and 25 agents from the FBI Evidence Response Team arrived on scene to assist deputies on October 5.[16] The Richland County Sheriff told reporters that the incident would have occurred regardless of the arresting officers' actions, stating: "The officers did absolutely nothing wrong. This was an ambush you can't prevent."[13]

Memorials

Two official crowdfunding campaigns for the wounded, 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.[16] 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.[26] A former officer created a "thin blue line" American flag that was signed by different police departments across the country, then presented to the family of fallen officer Sgt. Carraway.[27]

References

  1. ↑ Silverman, Hollie. "1 law enforcement officer killed in Florence, South Carolina, 6 others wounded". CNN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Second law enforcement officer dies after Florence ambush attack". Archived from the original on January 28, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ Andone, Dakin; Valencia, Nick; Chavez, Nicole. "Deputies called to say they were coming. They didn't expect an ambush". CNN. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ "South Carolina: Police shooting suspect is Vietnam war veteran". BBC News. October 4, 2018. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  5. ↑ Knapp, Andrew; Brown, Andrew. "SC officials: Gunman knew police were coming to investigate sex assault. 'Ambush' ensued". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  6. ↑ Berman, Mark; Rosenberg, Eli (October 4, 2018). "7 officers shot, 1 fatally, after attempt to serve warrant in South Carolina". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Frederick Hopkins ambushed officers who were coming to question son: sheriff". KNXV. October 5, 2018. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  8. ↑ "South Carolina shooting suspect posted about loving 'the smell of gunpowder' on Facebook". Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  9. 1 2 WPDE, TONYA BROWN. "Accused shooter charged in connection to deadly Florence officer-involved shooting". WPDE. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  10. ↑ EndPlay (October 4, 2018). "SC OFFICERS SHOT SUSPECT IDENTIFIED: Gunman identified in SC shooting that left 1 officer dead, 11 wounded". WSBTV. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Details emerge about 'bravest police officer' slain in South Carolina shooting". Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Investigator Farrah Turner". Officer Down Memorial Page. Archived from the original on January 28, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  13. 1 2 Lang, Alex (October 5, 2018). "Here is the latest update in the Florence police shooting investigation". charlotteobserver. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Fred Hopkins pleads guilty to killing Florence County officers in 2018 ambush". WMBF News. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Convicted murderer Fred Hopkins, Jr. Back in Florence for hearing".
  16. 1 2 3 Wilkie, Matthew Ablon, Dal Kalsi, Ella. "Bond denied for accused Florence shooter, son facing child sex charge". FOX Carolina News. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ WBTW (October 11, 2018). "Warrants reveal details surrounding shooting of 7 Florence law enforcement officers". WBTW. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Christian, Matthew (December 16, 2019). "Seth Hopkins sentenced to 20 years in prison". SCNow.
  19. ↑ "Incarcerated Inmate Search".
  20. ↑ Simon, Shay (December 16, 2019). "Seth Hopkins, son of accused Florence officer shooter, pleads guilty to sex charge". WACH.
  21. ↑ "SC man gets 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting girl". WLTX. December 16, 2019.
  22. ↑ Monk, John (December 16, 2019). "Son of Florence accused cop killer gets 20 years on rape charge against minor". The State. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Seth Hopkins pleads guilty to child sex crime, sentenced to 20 years". ABC Columbia. December 16, 2019.
  24. ↑ Staff, WMBF News (December 17, 2019). "Son of accused Florence mass shooter receives 20 years on child sex charge". wmbfnews.com.
  25. ↑ "Convicted murderer Fred Hopkins, Jr. Back in Florence for hearing". October 23, 2023.
  26. ↑ Fernandez, Briana (October 7, 2018). "Community honors fallen, injured Florence law enforcement officers". WBTW. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  27. ↑ Foster, Liz (October 7, 2018). "FLORENCE AMBUSH: Retired officer to deliver blue line flag to family of fallen Florence sergeant". WSOC. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
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