AIKEN COUNTY, S.C. — A man has pleaded guilty to the Florence County ambush that left two South Carolina law enforcement officers dead and five others injured just over five years after the incident happened.
Frederick Hopkins appeared in court Thursday in Aiken County, where he entered the plea before Circuit Court Judge Eugene Griffith. As part of the plea, prosecutors agreed to ask that he be sentenced to life in prison. They'd earlier been seeking the death penalty.
Hopkins had been set to go to trial next February, but Twelfth Circuit Solicitor Ed Clements told News19 that they learned Hopkins had a change of mind this week and wanted to plea. Clements said that while in court Thursday, Hopkins made clear he was mentally sound to enter the plea.
Hopkins will be sentenced on October 19 in Florence County.
On October 3, 2018, prosecutors say Hopkins shot three Florence County Sheriff's deputies and four Florence Police officers in front of Hopkins' home in the Vintage Place neighborhood in Florence Wednesday afternoon. The shooting killed Sgt. Terrence Carraway of the Florence Police Department and Investigator Farrah Turner of the Florence County Sheriff's Office.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, whose agency was called in to investigate the case, said back in 2018 that three Florence County deputies had gone to the home the day of the shooting to interview Hopkins' son about sexual assault claims that had been made against him. Lott said those arrangements for the interview had been made in advance, and they were not there to arrest him then.
According to Lott, when officers arrived at the door, Frederick Hopkins began firing. He then kept shooting as additional officers responded.
The officers had to be rescued from the scene using an armored vehicle that could shield officers from the gunfire. That process took about 30 minutes. After two hours, Lott said Hopkins surrendered.
Lott said when they searched the home, they found two military-style assault rifles and a handgun, which they believed were used in the shooting. But when officers kept looking, they found 129 guns inside the residence.
The sheriff said Frederick Hopkins knew the officers were coming and was waiting for them.
"Just going inside the house was chilling," Lott said back then. "Seeing how it was all set up. The officers had no chance whatsoever."
A gag order had been issued in the case, meaning very little information came out about the case over the years.