Sean Groubert, former South Carolina state trooper, was arrested and is facing charges of aggravated assault and battery for shooting a man during a traffic stop.

Dashboard Video Shows Groubert Shooting Jones

Levar Edward Jones, a 35-year-old black man, was pulled over by Groubert, a 31-year-old white man, for a seatbelt violation on Sept. 4. According to security footage from the trooper’s dashboard camera, Groubert flashed his sirens as Jones was pulling into a gas station. Jones exited the vehicle, and Groubert asked to see his license, but, when Jones reached into his car to retrieve his license, Groubert shouted, “Get out of the car, get out of the car,” and immediately began firing.

Four shots are clearly heard in the video, which was released to the public Wednesday night following Groubert’s bond hearing. Jones was hit once in the hip and is currently recovering.

Groubert Charged With Aggravated Assault And Battery

After an investigation found the shooting was unjustified, Groubert was fired, charged and arrested. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 20 years behind bars. Groubert’s attorney is saying that Jones reached into his car in an aggressive manner, giving the trooper just cause for the shooting.

“Trooper Groubert in his statement said that Mr. Jones presented an aggressive manner, that he came toward his patrol car in an aggressive manner, that he reached into Mr. Jones’ vehicle in an aggressive manner like he was pulling something out. None of that was indicated on the video, none of that was present on the video. What we actually saw was Mr. Jones reaching in, obeying all commands that the trooper had given him, which was to simply give him his ID,” Jones’ attorney Todd Rutherford told CBS.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.