Statement Released From SC Officer Who Shot Unarmed Man Last Month

Dash cam video released last month shows the shooting of an unarmed man, Levar Jones, by SC Trooper Sean Groubert. Since the shooting, Trooper Groubert has been fired from the force and also faces charges of assault and battery and faces up to 20 years in prison.

Jones was stopped for a seat belt violation and was asked to produce his license. When he began to comply by getting his license from his vehicle, the trooper felt that the gesture was threatening and told Jones to get out of the vehicle while almost simultaneously firing his pistol at least four times. Groubert struck Jones with one bullet in the hip.

Today, we learn that Groubert has released a statement regarding the shooting and to provide a glimpse of his side of the story.

“He jumped out of the car. I saw something black in his hands. I ran to the other side of the car yelling at him, and he kept coming toward me. Apparently it was his wallet,” Groubert said.

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The lawyer of Jones says that his client was taken to the hospital on a gurney, as well as handcuffed to that gurney. He says that his client also remained at the hospital until midnight because police had forgotten to release him.

The State is reporting that Groubert could be suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome even before this shooting. The PTSD is said to possibly stem from another shooting that Groubert was involved with over a year before this one. In that August 14 2012 incident, Groubert was involved in a car chase where, when the vehicle being chased came to a stop, the driver got out and began firing at officers. Officers returned fire and shot the suspect, stopping the threat.

What do you think of this case involving Groubert and Jones? There is nearly always more to the story than what we see in the video, and it’s difficult to put yourself in the shoes of anyone involved. However, what are your overall thoughts of this incident?