Former S.C. State Trooper Sean Groubert Sentenced For The Shooting Of Levar Jones

Levar Jones

In the comment section of this blog on the post written by towerflower titled We Want His Badge, we discussed the shooting of Levar Jones in Columbia, South Carolina on September 4, 2014.

On September 4, 2014, State Trooper Sean Groubert pulled into a gas station behind Levar Jones for a seat-belt violation.  He asked Levar for his license. Levar reached into his vehicle to get his license and Groubert shot him 4 times.

Sean Groubert was terminated from his job, and charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.  The judge issued a $75,000 cash bond. Groubert remained in jail and in March 2016, he plead guilty.

The State reports that Groubert’s defense attorneys said that Groubert developed PTSD after an August 2012 car chase and shootout with a suspect. The disorder, which they say went undiagnosed, contributed to Groubert overreacting and shooting Levar Jones during the traffic stop in September 2014.

At his sentencing, prosecutors argued that while in jail, Groubert complained that black people in South Carolina “had a chip on their shoulder.”