White SC Trooper faces 20 years in prison for shooting unarmed black male

By RYAN GORMAN

Newly-released video shows a white South Carolina State Trooper shooting an unarmed black male who was only reaching for his driver's license.

Lance Corporal Sean Groubert, 31, was fired from the force and has been charged with a felony in the wrongful shooting of Levar Jones, who luckily survived the incident.

Groubert pulled Jones over September 4 for a seat belt violation and shot the man without any provocation, according to The State. The former cop faces 20 years in prison if convicted.

Dash cam video shows Groubert cruising a Columbia neighborhood and then pulling Jones over at a gas station.

Jones exited his vehicle and Groubert said "let me see your license, please."

Groubert then repeatedly shouts "get out of the car" as Jones reaches harmlessly into his vehicle.

Jones was not armed and did not appear to be behaving aggressively, but Groubert fired four shots in his direction from close range.

One shot struck Jones in the hip, but he was not seriously hurt as he jumped back from his truck and threw his hands in the air.

Jones is out of the hospital by the time Groubert was fired last Friday.

The disgraced officer was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, records showed. His bond was set at $75,000.

This incident comes on the heels of a tumultuous summer that saw multiple police-involved shootings of unarmed black males, most notably the killing of Ferguson, Missouri, teen Michael Brown.

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