Frederick Hopkins died April 18 in the prison wing of the Medical University of South Carolina Chester Medical Center. South Carolina Department of Corrections spokesperson Chrysti Shain confirmed he died of natural causes after being hospitalized since January 2025.
Hopkins, 81, was convicted in 2023 of killing two Florence police officers who were executing a search warrant against his son, Seth Hopkins, for then-alleged child sex abuse crimes. Seth Hopkins took a plea deal and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
The elder Hopkins shot at seven officers from inside his home during the 2018 incident. Florence County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Farrah Turner and Florence Police Sgt. Terrence Carraway died. The other five officers were injured.
Hopkins accepted a plea deal in 2023 to avoid the death penalty, and thus received two life-sentences for the deaths of Turner and Carraway.
Shain confirmed Hopkins had been dealing with an extended illness prior to his death.
