After a driver got out of his car as ordered, he was told to produce his driver license, but when he reaches back into the car to get the license, a S.C. State Trooper shot at the unarmed man four times, striking him once in the hip
On September 4 in Columbia, S.C., State Trooper Sean Groubert, 31, spotted Levar Jones, 35, driving while not wearing a seatbelt. He pulled Jones over at a gas station and ordered him out of his car. What followed is captured on the patrol car’s dash cam. As Jones got out of his car, the trooper asked him for his driver license. Jones turned around and reached back into the car to retrieve his license. At this point Groubert opens fire, getting off at least four shots and striking the unarmed man once in the hip.
Groubert was fired on September 19 because it was determined that the shooting was not justified. On Wednesday the former trooper was charged with the felony of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. His attorney argues the shooting was justified because at that moment, Groubert perceived Jones reaching back into the car as an imminent threat to his life.
Jones was treated at a hospital and is recovering at home. It’s a good thing Groubert was not a better shooter. You can expect a big lawsuit in this case.
Compounding this incident is the fact that here we have another shooting of an unarmed black man by a white cop.
Immediately after getting shot, Jones yelled, "What did I do? . . . I just got my license, you said get my license." I think I can answer what Jones did. He scared the supreme shit out of the trooper when he reached back into the car. At that moment, Groubert panicked, pure and simple.
With so many cops getting shot and with the recent ambush shooting of two Pennsylvania State Troopers outside their barracks, I suspect that many cops are very apprehensive as they go about their daily duties. But does that justify what happened in Columbia at that gas station? To be honest, I have a hard time answering that question.
1 comment:
Seemed a wee bit quick on the trigger. If cops start shooting folks because they follow commands to retrieve a drivers license, imagine how many DWI suspects will perish for not being able to follow commands.
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