Green_Manelishi
Contributor
Was the Deputy wearing body armor?
Too many (and I knew one Chief) could have been saved by soft armor.
Too many (and I knew one Chief) could have been saved by soft armor.
South Carolina Deputy Killed in the Line of Duty
- Thread starter sccaleb
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OP
sccaleb
Guest
Yes. The Deputy was wearing body armor. One shot hit his armor (not the shot that killed him) and the other went through the area on the side of your body where there is no coverage... I'm assuming straight into the heart (similar to what happened to a Highway Patrolman about 8 or 9 years ago).
Just goes to show you how quickly everything can turn south.
Caleb
Just goes to show you how quickly everything can turn south.
Caleb
Man - that is so sad - Condolences to the family and the department.l
Just a minor correction. Jails have no control over the length of the sentences served by inmates. These are defined by the judge.
sccaleb:
UnderSeaBumbleBee
Contributor
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The day after a Spartanburg County deputy was killed, his friends and colleagues are remembering him as quiet, but dedicated to his job, his family and his community.
Deputy Kevin Earle Carper, 39, was killed Tuesday night by a single gunshot to the chest in an exchange of gunfire following an attempted traffic stop. The man investigators said fired that shot was also killed in the exchange.
Sheriff Chuck Wright said that counseling is being made available to Carper's colleagues.
Those who knew Carper said the 12-year veteran of the sheriff's office was content to be behind the scenes.
"He was supportive of everything and never was concerned about being in the limelight, but was always willing to pitch in and do whatever it took," said the Rev. C.E. Kanipe of St. James United Methodist Church in Spartanburg.
Carper would have celebrated his seventh wedding anniversary on Sunday. He is a father of three daughters, one of them less than a year old.
Kanipe said Carper was especially involved in the children's programs at the church with his daughters.
"He was always carrying the little ones in his arms as he would come out of church and clearly they just loved him to death, and he loved them," Kanipe said.
Kanipe said Carper had a quiet pride about his work.
"I would say a quiet, but brave person who didn't talk about his work, he just did it because he loved his work and that was the way he served the community," Kanipe said. “He was a true credit to the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and to the community and it is a true loss to all of us."
Funeral Arrangements
Funeral arrangements were announced Wednesday for Carper.
Visitation will be Friday from 6-8 p.m. at Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel, 2075 East Main Street in Spartanburg.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church in Spartanburg.
Fatal Exchange Of Gunfire
Wright said that Terry Lee Brooks shot at Carper, who returned fire. Carper died at the scene. Brooks was taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, where he died. Brooks was shot three times, Wright said.
Investigators said that Brooks was driving a friend's car. Carper pulled Brooks over because the gold Saturn had expired tags on it.
When Brooks took off on foot, Carper and Deputy William Hopkins chased him. Moments later, Hopkins reported shots fired, and Carper down.
A .38-caliber pistol was recovered at the scene, Wright said.
Brooks, who lived in Inman, had prior convictions for burglary, car theft and DUI, and was currently out on bond. (To see the result of WYFF's investigation into Brooks's past, click here.)
"Deputy Carper died a hero,” Wright said at a news conference held at about 1:30 a.m. “He died doing exactly what he loved to do. He made this office better. We're broken and we ask you to pray for his family and pray for this department."
The shooting happened just after 10 p.m. on Midway Park Drive, near Interstate 85 and Highway 129 in the Wellford area.
The sheriff’s office said that when Carper tried to make the traffic stop, Brooks got out of his vehicle and began to run.
Agents from the State Law Enforcement Division are investigating. A woman who was in Brooks' car at the time of the shooting is cooperating with investigators, Wright said. Investigators said that the woman told them that she saw Brooks with the .38-caliber weapon that was found at the scene.
The Sheriff's Office will not release the 911 tapes of the incident, at least until the conclusion of the SLED investigation into the shooting.
Fund For Family
The Police Benevolent Association has set up a fund in Carper's name. Donations can be made to the Deputy Kevin Carper Memorial Fund at any Wachovia bank in Spartanburg or through the Police Benevolent Foundation at www.scpba.org or www.pbfi.org.
Carper is the first Spartanburg County law officer killed in 45 years. Spartanburg Police Officer Thomas Fox Abrams, 42, died in January of 1962.
Abrams, who went by Fox, was shot to death during an arrest at a former nightclub on South Liberty Street.
Major Doug Horton serves as an unofficial historian with the Spartanburg Public Safety Department. He said he's responsible for finding old pictures of former chiefs on the force. In his research, he learned about Abrams and Johnson.
Horton said, "Basically, he (Abrams) went in and placed him under arrest and turned around and walked out in front of him. Whenever he turned around, Willie Lee Johnson pulled a pistol and shot him and killed him."
According to a former member on the force in Spartanburg -- and the man who arrested Johnson -- the suspect in Abrams' death never went to prison.
C.P. Sawyer said that Johnson spent 12 years in a mental hospital in Columbia
http://www.wyff4.com/news/11130300/detail.html
Deputy Kevin Earle Carper, 39, was killed Tuesday night by a single gunshot to the chest in an exchange of gunfire following an attempted traffic stop. The man investigators said fired that shot was also killed in the exchange.
Sheriff Chuck Wright said that counseling is being made available to Carper's colleagues.
Those who knew Carper said the 12-year veteran of the sheriff's office was content to be behind the scenes.
"He was supportive of everything and never was concerned about being in the limelight, but was always willing to pitch in and do whatever it took," said the Rev. C.E. Kanipe of St. James United Methodist Church in Spartanburg.
Carper would have celebrated his seventh wedding anniversary on Sunday. He is a father of three daughters, one of them less than a year old.
Kanipe said Carper was especially involved in the children's programs at the church with his daughters.
"He was always carrying the little ones in his arms as he would come out of church and clearly they just loved him to death, and he loved them," Kanipe said.
Kanipe said Carper had a quiet pride about his work.
"I would say a quiet, but brave person who didn't talk about his work, he just did it because he loved his work and that was the way he served the community," Kanipe said. “He was a true credit to the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and to the community and it is a true loss to all of us."
Funeral Arrangements
Funeral arrangements were announced Wednesday for Carper.
Visitation will be Friday from 6-8 p.m. at Floyd's Greenlawn Chapel, 2075 East Main Street in Spartanburg.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church in Spartanburg.
Fatal Exchange Of Gunfire
Wright said that Terry Lee Brooks shot at Carper, who returned fire. Carper died at the scene. Brooks was taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, where he died. Brooks was shot three times, Wright said.
Investigators said that Brooks was driving a friend's car. Carper pulled Brooks over because the gold Saturn had expired tags on it.
When Brooks took off on foot, Carper and Deputy William Hopkins chased him. Moments later, Hopkins reported shots fired, and Carper down.
A .38-caliber pistol was recovered at the scene, Wright said.
Brooks, who lived in Inman, had prior convictions for burglary, car theft and DUI, and was currently out on bond. (To see the result of WYFF's investigation into Brooks's past, click here.)
"Deputy Carper died a hero,” Wright said at a news conference held at about 1:30 a.m. “He died doing exactly what he loved to do. He made this office better. We're broken and we ask you to pray for his family and pray for this department."
The shooting happened just after 10 p.m. on Midway Park Drive, near Interstate 85 and Highway 129 in the Wellford area.
The sheriff’s office said that when Carper tried to make the traffic stop, Brooks got out of his vehicle and began to run.
Agents from the State Law Enforcement Division are investigating. A woman who was in Brooks' car at the time of the shooting is cooperating with investigators, Wright said. Investigators said that the woman told them that she saw Brooks with the .38-caliber weapon that was found at the scene.
The Sheriff's Office will not release the 911 tapes of the incident, at least until the conclusion of the SLED investigation into the shooting.
Fund For Family
The Police Benevolent Association has set up a fund in Carper's name. Donations can be made to the Deputy Kevin Carper Memorial Fund at any Wachovia bank in Spartanburg or through the Police Benevolent Foundation at www.scpba.org or www.pbfi.org.
Carper is the first Spartanburg County law officer killed in 45 years. Spartanburg Police Officer Thomas Fox Abrams, 42, died in January of 1962.
Abrams, who went by Fox, was shot to death during an arrest at a former nightclub on South Liberty Street.
Major Doug Horton serves as an unofficial historian with the Spartanburg Public Safety Department. He said he's responsible for finding old pictures of former chiefs on the force. In his research, he learned about Abrams and Johnson.
Horton said, "Basically, he (Abrams) went in and placed him under arrest and turned around and walked out in front of him. Whenever he turned around, Willie Lee Johnson pulled a pistol and shot him and killed him."
According to a former member on the force in Spartanburg -- and the man who arrested Johnson -- the suspect in Abrams' death never went to prison.
C.P. Sawyer said that Johnson spent 12 years in a mental hospital in Columbia
http://www.wyff4.com/news/11130300/detail.html
Green_Manelishi
Contributor
sccaleb:
Tragic.
RonDawg
Contributor
sccaleb:
ReefGuy is correct...the jail simply did what it was ordered to do, and that was to let the suspect out on bond.
Where it would have been the jail's fault is if the suspect was mistakenly released from custody.
OP
sccaleb
Guest
Yes... I was mistaken in saying I blame it on the jail, but I will blame our court system. At the time I was still a little over emotional about the whole thing. I should say its a case of Probation and Parole gone wrong. Parole because he has been convicted NUMEROUS times before. He has previous convictions for distribution of heroin. The Sheriff did a news interview a day ago where he had the guys rap sheet in his hand and was very visibly pissed off that this guy is even out walking the streets.
Heck... this cat even had a previous murder charge on his record from somewhere up north, however, I don't know whether there was a conviction on that one or not. I do know he has a few convictions and charges for domestic violence. So overall, this suspect was just a sleez bag.
I work with a guy who served on the warrant division with Carper and he says he was just a fantastic guy.
It is sad any time we have to wear the black bands on our badges.
Caleb
Heck... this cat even had a previous murder charge on his record from somewhere up north, however, I don't know whether there was a conviction on that one or not. I do know he has a few convictions and charges for domestic violence. So overall, this suspect was just a sleez bag.
I work with a guy who served on the warrant division with Carper and he says he was just a fantastic guy.
It is sad any time we have to wear the black bands on our badges.
Caleb
OP
sccaleb
Guest
I have spent time working in the detention center. So I definitely know better... again, typing before my mind could catch up at the time. It takes a special, dedicated officer to work in the jail full-time, especially in State or Federal faciilities.
Caleb
Caleb
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