On October 3, 2018, seven law enforcement officers were shot and five civilians were injured in Florence, South Carolina, United States.
Florence County Emergency Management Officials said reports of "shots fired and officer down" were issued and responded to at 4:37 EDT, and that the suspect had barricaded himself inside the home with an unspecified number of children.
[13] The suspect, 74-year-old Fred Hopkins, a former lawyer who was disbarred in 1982, was arrested at the scene before being taken to the hospital for a head injury.
[18][19] Hopkins later pled guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and is currently imprisoned in the Ridgeland Correctional Institution.
[17] Neighborhoods utilized blue light bulbs and flags to honor the deceased and injured victims, and food deliveries were sent to the families of officers who were hospitalized.