Sean Groubert, being led into custody, after pleading guilty in the shooting of unarmed Levar Jones in 2014.

Sean Groubert, a former South Carolina state trooper, has pleaded guilty to assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature for the shooting of Levar Jones at a Columbia gas station in September of 2014. Video from Groubert’s patrol car went viral at a time of heightened scrutiny and anxiety of police executions of unarmed African Americans—immediately after the murders of Mike Brown in Ferguson, John Crawford in Ohio and Eric Garner in New York and just prior to the murder of Tamir Rice in Cleveland and the non-indictment of Darren Wilson for Brown’s murder. Groubert’s shooting of Jones occurred about seven months before another South Carolina law enforcement officer, Michael Slager, murdered an unarmed Walter Scott.

Groubert entered his plea on Monday of this week. Jones, who survived the ordeal, was present in the courtroom during the proceedings. Groubert followed Jones to initiate a traffic stop for a seatbelt violation. As Groubert exits his vehicle Jones is already standing at the driver side of his car. Groubert can be heard asking Jones for his license. In an effort to comply with the officer’s lawful request, Jones quickly turns around and reaches into his vehicle. At that point, Groubert began yelling at Jones to “get out of the car!” Once Jones turned around from being inside the vehicle, Groubert opens fire, shooting him three times. Jones is seen falling to the ground with both hands raised as Groubert continues to yell at him to get on the ground. Jones can be heard in the video asking why he was shot, saying “I just got my license, you said get my license. What did I do, sir?”

Did we mention Groubert fired his weapon three times at a gas station? Video of the incident is below the fold.