Crime & Safety
Ex-South Carolina Trooper Gets Prison In Shooting: 'I Deserve To Be Punished'
Sean Groubert was a state Highway Patrol trooper when he pulled over Levar Jones for a seat belt violation in Coumbia and shot him.
COLUMBIA, SC — Sean Groubert was a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper three years ago when he pulled over Levar Jones for a seat belt violation in Columbia and shot the unarmed man.
Circuit Judge Casey Manning sentenced Groubert on Tuesday to five years in prison and three years of probation for shooting Jones in the hip.
Groubert, who is white, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and battery last year. He received credit for 17 months served. After Groubert asked to see Jones' license, dashcam video showed the trooper shot Jones, who is black, as he reached into his truck to retrieve his driver's license. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)
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Groubert said he believed Jones was getting a gun and feared for his life.
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Groubert was involved in a shootout during a 2012 chase. His lawyers said Tuesday that Groubert suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder because of that shooting.
The video showed Jones was being polite and was trying to comply with the officer's commands when he was shot. The Highway Patrol fired Groubert shortly after Jones was shot.
Groubert apologized in court Tuesday.
"I made a horrible mistake the day I shot you and I owe you an apology and I deserve to be punished," Groubert said directly to Jones. "You did nothing wrong and I screwed up, plain and simple. I pray for you every night."
The officer said he had wanted to apologize to Jones for three years but complied with a court order that he have no contact with the victim.
Jones said in court Tuesday the shooting changed him.
He said he no longer trusts law enforcement officers, even black officers. He asked that Groubert be sentenced to the maximum 20 years in prison.
Photo credit: Captain R. K. Hughes/South Carolina Highway Patrol, South Carolina Department of Public SafetyCommunications Office