In the quiet subdivision of Vintage Place in Florence, South Carolina, a tragic event unfolded on October 3, 2018, that would claim the life of a veteran police officer and wound several others. Terrence Felipe Carraway, a 52-year-old Sergeant with the Florence Police Department, was killed in the line of duty after responding to a call for backup. Carraway, an African American male, was a respected 30-year veteran of the force and a U.S.
Air Force veteran.
The incident began when three deputies from the Florence County Sheriff's Office attempted to serve a warrant at the home of 74-year-old Fred Hopkins. The warrant was related to allegations of sexual assault against Hopkins' adult son. As the deputies approached the house, Fred Hopkins opened fire on them, wounding all three. He then positioned himself in a second-floor window, giving him a significant tactical advantage with a view of several hundred yards.
Responding to the urgent call of 'officer down,' Sergeant Carraway and other Florence police officers arrived at the scene. In an attempt to rescue the wounded deputies, Carraway and three of his colleagues came under fire from Hopkins. All four were hit, and the officers were transported to a local hospital. Sergeant Terrence Carraway succumbed to his wounds. Another officer, Investigator Farrah Turner of the Florence County Sheriff's Office, died from her injuries weeks later. The standoff with Hopkins, who had barricaded himself inside his home with children, lasted for two hours before he was taken into custody. A bullet-proof vehicle had to be used to rescue the injured officers.
The shooter, Fred Hopkins, a disabled Vietnam veteran and a disbarred lawyer, was arrested at the scene. He was charged with two counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder. Evidence presented later indicated that Hopkins had premeditated the attack, having told people the night before that he would shoot any police who came to his house. In October 2023, Hopkins pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus an additional 150 years in prison. Hopkins' son, for whom the initial warrant was being served, later pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal conduct with a minor and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
