Prison sentencing stemming from traffic stop, led police to find 'ghost' gun, large amount of drugs, U.S. Attorney says (2024)

US. HERE’S CAROL AND RASHAD WYFF NEWS FOUR AT SIX STARTS RIGHT NOW. IN 2024, A HISTORIC MATCHUP JUST HOURS AWAY, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SET TO TAKE THE DEBATE STAGE TONIGHT ON WYFF NEWS FOUR’S NIGEL ROBERTSON IN ATLANTA WITH A LOOK AT WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA. AFTER OVER THREE WEEKS OF BEING DRY. RAIN BACK IN THE FORECAST COMING UP, I’LL MAP OUT LIVE SUPER DOPPLER FOUR IMPACT DAYS OVER THE WEEKEND. BODY CAMERA VIDEO RELEASED TODAY AFTER HOPKINS NO LONGER POSED A THREAT, DEPUTIES MOVED IN TO PLACE HIM IN HANDCUFFS. THE VIDEO GIVING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MOMENTS A CANINE WAS STABBED IN UPSTATE DEPUTIES FIRED SHOTS. I DON’T HAVE A CHOICE. IF IT WAS UP TO ME, WE WOULDN’T BE CLOSED. I’M OUTSIDE OF A LOCAL DAYCARE THAT WAS TOLD IT HAD ONE WEEK TO SHUT ITS DOORS. WE SPOKE WITH THE DIRECTOR, WHO SAYS IT WAS A BLINDSIDE FOR HER TO, BUT WE START WITH COMMITMENT. 2024. WE ARE JUST HOURS AWAY FROM PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP TAKING THE DEBATE STAGE. AS WE LOOK TO THE NOVEMBER ELECTION, IT WILL BE THE FIRST DEBATE BETWEEN THE TWO SINCE 2020. IT IS ALSO THE FIRST EVER MATCHUP BETWEEN A SITTING PRESIDENT AND A FORMER PRESIDENT. THE TWO MEN ARE EXPECTED TO TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMY, WOMEN’S REPRODUCTION, IMMIGRATION AND MORE. RIGHT NOW, NIGEL ROBERTSON IS JOINING US LIVE FROM ATLANTA AHEAD OF TONIGHT’S DEBATE, NIGEL. IN EXACTLY THREE HOURS FROM NOW, THAT DEBATE WILL BEGIN. BOTH CANDIDATES WILL BE ON STAGE. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WILL FACE EACH OTHER NOW THIS DEBATE WILL BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THERE WILL NOT BE A CROWD THERE. SO THE CANDIDATES REALLY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FEED OFF THE CROWD REACTIONS FROM WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY. IT’S JUST THE TWO CANDIDATES AND THE TWO MODERATORS THAT WILL BE ON STAGE TONIGHT. NOW, I ASKED FURMAN POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR BRANT NELSON IF HE BELIEVES THAT PEOPLE REALLY HAVE NOT MADE UP THEIR MIND YET WHO THEY WILL BE VOTING FOR. HERE’S WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. POLITICAL SCIENTISTS ARE DEBATING THAT RIGHT NOW. UM, IT’S IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT DONALD TRUMP OR JOE BIDEN. UH, AND DON’T HAVE AN OPINION ABOUT THEM. IT’S REALLY NOT SO MUCH WHO PEOPLE SIDE WITH THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THEY WILL GO TO VOTE OR NOT, AND THAT’S WHY TURNOUT IS SO IMPORTANT TO BOTH PARTIES. SO THESE MARGINAL VOTERS ARE NOT REALLY DECIDING BETWEEN BIDEN AND TRUMP. THEY’RE DECIDING BETWEEN BIDEN AND THE COUCH. NOW, ONE THING I NOTICED AS WE DROVE IN TO ATLANTA, WE DID NOT SEE ANY LARGE GROUP OF PROTESTERS OR LARGE GROUPS OF SUPPORTERS WERE HERE ON THE GEORGIA TECH CAMPUS. AND HONESTLY, CAMPUS HAS BEEN PRETTY QUIET. WE HAVE SEEN STUDENTS WALKING HERE AND THERE, BUT NO REAL ACTION WITH SUCH A BIG EVENT HAPPENING. JUST ONE BLOCK AWAY. LIVE IN ATLANTA, NIGEL ROBERTSON WYFF NEWS FOUR. CAROL RASHAD BACK TO YOU IN THE STUDIO. THANK YOU. NIGEL. TODAY THE SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS AND THE DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES SPOKE OUT AHEAD OF TONIGHT’S DEBATE. AND DURING REMARKS, THEY CALLED OUT REPUBLICANS FOR PASSING SOUTH CAROLINA’S FETAL HEARTBEAT LAW. AND THEY ALSO CALLED ON VOTERS TO WEIGH IN AT THE POLLS IN NOVEMBER. CINDY BIDEN, BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE. UM, IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE AND IT’S CRITICAL THAT WE ELECT DEMOCRATS TO OUR OFFICE OF STATE OFFICES. SO HIS INITIATIVES CAN BE CARRIED OUT AND NOT BLOCKED. WE REACHED OUT TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA GOP AHEAD OF THE DEBATE. CHAIR DREW MCKISSICK SAYS HE HOPES TONIGHT’S DEBATE IS NOT FOCUSED ON THE PAST. INSTEAD, HE SAYS HE WANTS TO HEAR FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FUTURE PLANS. IF YOU’RE TRUMP, I THINK YOU PIVOT REAL QUICKLY AWAY FROM THAT AND YOU FOCUS ON THE CURRENT REALITY. YOU KNOW WHAT JOE BIDEN HAS DONE TO AMERICA. AND THEN ALSO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WITH THE COUNTRY TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE, FOCUS ON THE FUTURE. DON’T LET THEM BOG YOU DOWN WITH THE PAST AND REMEMBER, WYFF NEWS FOUR IS YOUR HOME FOR COMMITMENT 2024 COVERAGE. YOU CAN JOIN NBC NEWS FOR SPECIAL COVERAGE AND ANALYSIS BETWEEN BEGINNING TONIGHT AT NINE AND TEAM COVERAGE. AFTER THE DEBATE ON WYFF NEWS FOUR AT 11. LET’S GO AHEAD AND TURN NOW TO OUR WEATHER. IT FELT MUCH COOLER OUTSIDE TODAY COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. YOU’RE GETTING A LIVE LOOK NOW FROM OUR LAURENS SKYCAM, A BEAUTIFUL VIEW OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, CHIEF METEOROLOGIST CHRIS JUSTICE IS HERE AND CHRIS, HOW IS THE EVENING LOOKING BETTER. WE’VE AT LEAST GOT SOME CLOUD COVER. YOU KNOW, I FINALLY MOWED MY YARD TODAY. IT’S BEEN PUTTING IT OFF DAY AFTER DAY. I COULDN’T SEE MY TWO YEAR OLD, SO I KNEW IT WAS TIME. WE HAD TO CUT THAT GRASS. I’M KIDDING. WAS IT THAT HIGH? CLOSE. BUT WE’VE WE’VE GOT SOME RAIN IN THE FORECAST. WE NEED IT BECAUSE I MEAN, IT HAS BEEN SO HOT AND SO DRY THAT WE’VE GOT A DROUGHT ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. LIVE SUPER DOPPLER FOUR SHOWING. SOME OF US HAVE SOME SHOWERS HERE OR THERE, BUT NOT ALL OF US. WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY TO JACKSON TO MACON COUNTY STILL LINGERING WITH SOME HEAVY DOWNPOURS. IT’S 84, IN GREENVILLE, 87 IN ANDERSON, 81. ONE IN SPARTANBURG. WHEN YOU FACTOR IN THE HUMIDITY, IT FEELS LIKE CLOSER TO 90 TO 92. IN SOME LOCATIONS. SO THAT HUMIDITY MAKING IT FEEL HOTTER. BUT IT’S ALSO GIVING US MORE CLOUD COVER AND A BETTER CHANCE FOR STORMS. YOU CAN SEE GREENVILLE LOOKING NICE RIGHT NOW. A GREAT EVENING TAKING SHAPE OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS. WE’LL SEE TEMPERATURES SETTLE ON DOWN SLOWLY TO THE LOW 70S. COMING UP, I’LL MAP OUT WHERE WE GO THE REST OF THE WEEK AND TRACK THE TROPICS WITH A COUPLE OF THINGS BREWING RIGHT NOW, CHRIS. THANK YOU. WELL, WE HAVE SOME NEW DETAILS TO TELL YOU ABOUT OUT OF GREENVILLE COUNTY. NEWLY RELEASED BODY CAM FOOTAGE SHOWS THE MOMENTS LEADING UP TO A K9 DEPUTY BEING STABBED IN A SUSPECT BEING SHOT. DEPUTIES SAY THEY WERE ATTEMPTING TO ASSIST THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WITH TAKING 51 YEAR OLD JAMES HOPKINS, THE FOURTH, INTO CUSTODY ON A WARRANT OUT OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY. SO IN THE VIDEO, SEVERAL VERBAL COMMANDS WERE YELLED AT HOPKINS AND HE FAILED TO COMPLY WITH THEM. HOPKINS IS ALSO SEEN REACHING IN AND AROUND THE DUFFEL BAG, AND THAT IS WHEN K-9 MICKEY WAS DEPLOYED. THE VIDEO SHOWS HOPKINS STABBING THE K-9 SEVERAL TIMES. DEPUTIES ATTEMPTED TO SUBDUE HIM WITH A TASER AND BEANBAG ROUNDS, BOTH UNSUCCESSFUL. HOPKINS, STILL ARMED WITH A KNIFE, CAN THEN BE SEEN RUNNING ACROSS THE STREET INTO A BANK PARKING LOT. AFTER FAILING TO COMPLY WITH MORE COMMANDS, HOPKINS WAS SHOT AFTER HOPKINS NO LONGER POSED A THREAT, DEPUTIES MOVED IN TO PLACE HIM IN HANDCUFFS AND INITIATED FIRST AID UNTIL EMS ARRIVED ON SCENE TO TRANSPORT HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. WHILE HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL. BUT NOW HE IS FACING A LONG LIST OF CHARGES PER PROTOCOL. SLED IS STILL INVESTIGATING. WE’RE TOLD K-9 MICKEY IS RECOVERING. GREENVILLE POLICE HAVE MADE ANOTHER ARREST IN CONNECTION WITH A MURDER AT A HOTEL. THEY SAY LASHAWN MORELAND WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY YESTERDAY ON MURDER CHARGES. LAST WEDNESDAY, OFFICERS WERE CALLED TO A SHOOTING AT WOODSPRING SUITES ON ORCHARD PARK DRIVE, ROGERS ROBINSON WAS KILLED EARLIER THIS WEEK. ERIC DAVIS JR WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH MURDER. HIS FATHER, ERIC DAVIS SENIOR, IS ALSO CHARGED WITH ACCESSORY BEFORE THE FACT. CONFUSED AND ANXIOUS. THOSE ARE TWO WAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, TWO THINGS THAT SOME FAMILIES SAY THEY’RE FEELING AFTER BEING GIVEN JUST ONE WEEK TO FIND NEW CHILDCARE, A LOCAL DAYCARE TOLD THEM IT WOULD BE SHUTTING ITS DOORS AT THE END OF THE WEEK WITH LITTLE NOTICE. IT’S A STORY OUR NATE STANLEY HAS BEEN FOLLOWING ALL DAY. NATE, WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND? WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED. YEAH, I’M OUT HERE OUTSIDE THE LEE ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH. CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER, WHERE SOME PARENTS AND STAFF ALIKE SAY THEY’VE BEEN BLINDSIDED BY THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. AND NOW, WITH THE SUMMER IN FULL SWING, THOSE PARENTS TELL ME THEY’RE WORRIED ABOUT FINDING A GOOD REPLACEMENT. POSSIBLY LOSING MY NEW CAR THAT I JUST GOT, AND HAVING TO GO BACK TO BE A STAY AT HOME MOM. THAT’S THE SITUATION FACING GREENVILLE MOM MARLEE PROPST. SHE HAS FOUR YEAR OLD TWINS THAT ATTEND DAYCARE AT THE LEE ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH. SHE SAYS ON FRIDAY, SHE WAS SHOCKED BY THE ANNOUNCEMENT THE CHURCH WAS CLOSING THE DAYCARE. ALL THE DAYCARE TEACHERS THERE, THEY LOVE THE KIDS AND IT REALLY STINKS THAT IT WASN’T JUST THE FAMILIES AFFECTED, BUT IT WAS. IT WAS EVERYONE. ACCORDING TO THE DAYCARE DIRECTOR, MONICA SNODDY, THEY OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY FROM THE CHURCH AND WERE GIVEN THE SAME SHORT NOTICE. WE WEREN’T REALLY INVOLVED IN THE SITUATION. UM, THEY JUST CALLED US INTO A MEETING AND SAID THAT WE’RE CLOSING, AND THAT WAS BASICALLY THAT NO MATTER WHAT WE SAID, IT WASN’T CHANGING THE IDEA ON WEDNESDAY, WE BRIEFLY SPOKE WITH THE LEE ROAD PASTOR, WHO CITED FINANCIAL REASONS FOR THE CLOSURE. WE TRIED TO GIVE HIM A CALL TODAY BUT DID NOT GET AN ANSWER, POPE SAYS. NOW, WITHOUT A BACKUP PLAN, SHE WORRIES ABOUT THE FINANCIAL STRAIN. THE CLOSURE WILL HAVE. I HAVE NOT SLEPT VERY WELL. UM, I HAVE A WEEK. UM, AS AS OF TOMORROW, I HAVE A WEEK TO FIND A CHILDCARE FOR MY TWINS, FOR AFTER SCHOOL, AND FOR THE REST OF SUMMER. WHAT ABOUT SOME IDEAS FOR PARENTS WHO ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR THAT CHILDCARE. RIGHT. SO IF YOU’RE AT HOME RIGHT NOW AND YOU’RE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING OR, YOU KNOW, EXPECT THE SAME SITUATION, YOU’RE ENCOURAGED TO GO TO THE WEBSITE. SC CHILDCARE.ORG. THERE YOU’LL FIND RESOURCES THAT WILL GET YOU TO LICENSED CHILD CARE PROVIDERS, AS WELL AS LINKS TO SCHOLARSHIPS DESIGNED FOR