South Carolina Trooper Charged For Shooting An Unarmed Man At A Gas Station (789 hits)
The number of police brutality cases that have happened this week make us seriously question how some officers manage to get a badge in the first place. Former South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper, Sean Groubert, is charged with aggravated assault and battery for shooting an unarmed man, Levar Jones, in the hip at a gas station parking lot, CNN reports. A judge has set a $75,000 bond in Groubert’s case. If convicted, Groubert could face up to 20 years in prison according to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division guidelines.
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Authorities released video recorded from Groubert’s police car that police believe show Jones and Groubert. It starts off showing Groubert driving up to Jones’ car just as he steps out of it. Groubert asks for his license and Jones then reaches for something in his car, presumably the license. A few seconds later, Groubert draws his gun and yells to Jones, “Get out of the car! Get out of the car!” The gun is fired — four gun shots are heard in the video — and Jones steps away from the car with his hands up. He eventually moves off camera and someone, allegedly Jones, is heard yelling, “I just got my license! You said get my license!”
Public Safety Director Leroy Smith, who announced Groubert’s firing last week, said the case was inconsistent with trooper training guidelines. “I believe this case was an isolated incident in which Mr. Groubert reacted to a perceived threat where there was none,” he said. According to Smith, officers can only use force when it’s “necessary to accomplish lawful objectives.”
