FLORENCE COUNTY S.C. (WBTW) — Two law-enforcement officers wounded in a 2018 mass shooting that left two other officers dead in Florence County have filed lawsuits against the man accused of the attack and several members of his family.
Florence County Sheriff’s Deputy Arie Davis and Florence Police Officer Brian Hart filed the lawsuits on Sept. 22 and 24, respectively, against Frederick Hopkins, charged with two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder; Seth Hopkins; David Suggs; the Suggs family revocable trust; and Cheryl Hopkins and David Suggs as trustees of the Suggs family revocable trust.
Davis and Hart were among five officers wounded in the attack. Their suits follow a wrongful death lawsuit filed Sept. 21 by attorneys for the family of Deputy Farrah Turner, one of two officers who died in the attack.
According to the lawsuits, Davis and Hart were among several officers who went to Frederick Hopkins’ home on Oct. 3, 2018, to investigate alleged criminal sexual conduct by Frederick Hopkins’ son, Seth. Davis was shot in the leg and Hart was shot in the hand when Frederick Hopkins opened fire on the officers, the lawsuits said.
Both lawsuits say Cheryl Hopkins knew the weapons used in the shooting were being kept at the home and that she knew Frederick Hopkins suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
The lawsuits say both officers suffered from extensive pain and mental anguish caused by the shooting, along with other physical injuries and monetary losses. Davis and Hart are seeking unspecified actual and punitive damages during a trial, according to the lawsuits