Advertisement SC trooper accused of shooting unarmed man enters plea Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The former South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper who is accused of shooting an unarmed man at a gas station in 2014 has entered a guilty plea.Former Trooper Sean Groubert, 32, faces assault and battery charges in connection to the shooting that happened at a Broad River Road gas station back on Sept. 4, 2014.With the guilty plea, Groubert faces up to 20 years in prison.Groubert's trial was scheduled to begin Monday.Groubert said he pulled over driver Levar Jones for a seat belt violation. The trooper asked Jones for his license, and Jones turned around to reach for his ID in his truck cab when Groubert fired several shots at him, according to investigators.To see the dashcam video, click here. One of those shots hit Jones in the hip."I pulled him over for a seat-belt violation," Groubert said in a phone call to his supervisor. "Before I could even get out of my car, he jumped out, stared at me, and as I jumped out of my car and identified myself as I approached him, he jumped head-first back into his car. I started retracting back towards the rear of his vehicle telling him, 'Look, get out of the car. Let me see your hands.' 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 towards me. Apparently, it was his wallet."Groubert was quickly released from his duties as a Highway Patrolman after news of the incident began to spread. Dash camera footage of the incident was also released by the State Law Enforcement Division following their investigation.