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South Carolina Trooper Fired for Shooting Black Man Who Obeyed Command to Retrieve License

HeadlineSep 26, 2014

In South Carolina, a state trooper has been fired and arrested after shooting an African-American man four times as he reached for his driver’s license during a stop for an alleged seatbelt violation at a gas station. Footage from a police dashboard camera shows Levar Edward Jones reaching for his license after Trooper Sean Groubert asked to see it. As Jones reaches into the truck, then turns back around, Groubert shoots him four times. Jones, who has disappeared from the frame, asks why he was shot.

Levar Edward Jones: “Why did you shoot me?”

Sean Groubert: “Well, you dove head first back into your car, then you jumped back out. I’m telling you to get out of your car.”

Levar Edward Jones: “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear two words, sir.”

The trooper, a former lance corporal, has been charged with aggravated assault and could face up to 20 years in prison.

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