African American

A former South Carolina state trooper will serve about five years in prison for shooting and injuring an unarmed black motorist during a 2014 traffic stop.

Sean Groubert shot and injured Levar Jones after pulling him over for not wearing his seatbelt. Video footage from the dashcam was released to the public and showed Jones pulling into a gas station and having already gotten out of his vehicle when Groubert pulled up behind him.

As Groubert asked for his license, Jones turned back into his vehicle to comply, at which point Groubert immediately started shouting and firing several shots. As the shots went off, Jones was seen throwing his hands into the air and falling to the ground. . . .

On Tuesday, Circuit Court Judge Casey Manning sentenced Groubert to 12 years in prison but suspended the time to five years and then gave him credit for the 17 months that he had already served in jail after pleading guilty, meaning that Groubert will only serve about three years in total. He will only have to serve his full sentence if he violates probation after his eventual release.