‘They’re all heroes’: Charlotte’s tragedy brings back haunting memories for Florence County Sheriff’s Office
FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — A tragedy in Charlotte on Monday that left four officers dead brought back haunting memories for the Florence County Sheriff’s Office after going through a similar tragedy of their own in 2018.
According to Charlotte authorities, a suspect started firing at law enforcement officers when they tried to serve an arrest warrant.
The incident reminded many of the 2018 shooting in Florence County that killed two law enforcement officers and injured several others.
North Carolina, Pee Dee law enforcement supporting Charlotte police in wake of deadly shootout
Fred Hopkins Jr. pleaded guilty to all charges in connection with the Vintage Place neighborhood ambush and was sentenced to life in prison. Sergeant Terrence Carraway and investigator Farrah Turner died in the shooting.
Major Michael Nunn with the Florence County’s Sheriff’s Office said the ambush in Charlottle brought back haunting memories.
Nunn said he remembers there was an extensive shootout that took place in an upscale Florence neighborhood, being very reminiscent to what happened in Charlotte.
“The entire agency mourns the loss of any police officer, and the state loses a law enforcement officer and they’re all heroes,” he said. “So, there’s a community mourning that takes place as well, not just among the law enforcement community but the public as a whole.”
Deputy Jerry Kelly, who is now a school resource officer at Wilson High School, said he and Carraway had plans to go to the movies after their shift that night.
Kelly said the call came in as he was leaving work and he figured Carraway would be there too.
“He started checking off gunfire, he was on the driver’s side of his patrol car, he moved to the back of the trunk, I looked at him, he looked at me,” Kelly said. “For some reason, he moved to the passenger side and when I looked back again, that’s when he was laying on the ground.”
Kelly said he’s been an officer for more than 30 years. He said serving a warrant will always be scary because you never know who’s on the other side of that door.
Terrence Carraway was a Florence police officer and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Three weeks after the vintage place shooting, Farrah Turner, a Florence County Sheriff’s Office Investigator died.
Kelly said he used to work with Turner, but Carraway was like a big brother to him.
“We’ve been friends ever since, even when I went to Sumter County, we talked almost every day,” Kelly said. “He knows my kids, I knew his kid, I mean, we met up throughout the weekend sometimes, we were just tight.”
Kelly said Carraway was the reason he moved back to Florence after his mother died. Kelly said he lived with Carraway for six months and he helped him get back on his feet.
He described a call they responded to together.
“A homeless guy who was out begging for food,” Kelly said. “They wanted us to put him in jail for trespassing. Terrance went inside, brought him something to eat and we took him off the property. Stuff like that is what I remember about Terrance, so I try to live my life the same. Here, I do whatever I can to help them.”
Charlotte Police Department released a statement regarding the ambush tragedy.
“Our department stands alongside you today with the sincerest of gratitude for the heroes who left their mark on this world and for the ones who will bravely continue to serve their community despite the opposition they face,” the statement read.
Nunn said incidents like these show how dangerous the nature of law enforcement is.
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Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
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