The Latest on the shooting of seven law enforcement officers in South Carolina (all times local):
7:15 p.m.
Bond has been denied for the man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a South Carolina police officer.
WBTW-TV reports Judge Tommy Mourounas denied bond Friday for 74-year-old Frederick T. Hopkins Jr., who is accused of slaying Florence police Sgt. Terrence Carraway. Hopkins is also charged with six counts of attempted murder in the wounding of six other law enforcement officers Wednesday.
A reporter from the station describes Hopkins as needing help getting in and out of the courtroom and appearing dazed.
Mourounas asked Hopkins whether he understood where he was and Hopkins responded by saying, “No, where am I?” The judge then told him he was at a bond hearing.
The court made no decision on whether to appoint a lawyer for Hopkins, delaying that issue until his financial status can be verified.
———
3:30 p.m.
A 74-year-old man charged with shooting seven police officers — one fatally — in South Carolina was cited for his sharpshooting abilities and marksmanship while serving in the U.S. Army.
Military records obtained by The Associated Press show Frederick Hopkins served 11 years, including time in Vietnam after joining in 1966.
The records show Hopkins was awarded a marksman badge with pistol bar and a sharpshooter with rifle bar during his service.
The records show he was awarded the Bronze Star for his heroism defending a firebase under attack by North Vietnamese forces on May 6, 1970.
Authorities say Hopkins ambushed three Florence County deputies coming to question his son about a sex assault case, then shot four Florence city police officers as they rushed to help.
Florence Police. Sgt. Terrence Carraway was killed.
———
2:25 p.m.
The sheriff investigating the shooting of seven police officers in South Carolina says the man charged with murder ambushed them as they came to question his 27-year-old son about a sexual assault on a child.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says three Florence County deputies arranged the interview around 4 p.m. Wednesday and 74-year-old Frederick Hopkins shot them as they got out of their police car.
Authorities say four more officers from the city of Florence were shot trying to rescue the others. Florence Police Sgt. Terrence Carraway died.
Lott says Hopkins was charged with murder and six counts of attempted murder. The sheriff says he should be released from the hospital Friday after suffering a head injury.
Lott says Hopkins’ son, Seth Hopkins, has been charged with criminal sexual conduct.
———
12:05 a.m.
Authorities say a 74-year-old Vietnam veteran and disbarred attorney shot seven South Carolina law enforcement officers, using his marksmanship to hold officers back as their comrades lay bleeding on the ground.
Fifty-two-year-old Officer Terrence Carraway died in the Wednesday shooting.
Records and social media posts unearthed Thursday showed that Frederick Hopkins became serious about amateur target-shooting around the time he lost his law license in the 1980s for mishandling money.
In recent years, Hopkins had faced several minor criminal charges, including disorderly conduct in 2014.
Hopkins is accused of opening fire from his home in an affluent neighborhood after deputies tried to carry out a search warrant.
Mourners held a candlelight vigil Thursday night for Carraway inside a Florence church.