SC Highway Patrol

A South Carolina trooper was shot in the face over the weekend after stopping a vehicle for speeding. The Highway Patrol says the trooper's condition is not life threatening and he is recovering in a hospital. Officers say the driver, 37-year-old Derrick Gathers, eventually crashed while being chased by a second trooper and other officers. Authorities say Gathers was taken to jail after being treated at a hospital. He is charged with two counts of attempted murder.

Prosecutors say a white South Carolina trooper won't face criminal charges for fatally shooting a Black man who ran away from an attempted traffic stop last year. 15th Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said Monday that Master Trooper Whittney Blake Benton acted in self-defense when he killed Tristan Vereen last September. Investigators say Benton tried to pull Vereen over for a cracked windshield, prompting a chase by car and foot. Benton told investigators he shot Vereen in the chest because he feared for his life after Vereen bit, kicked and used Benton's stun gun on the trooper during a brief fight. A lawyer for Vereen's family says they want the Department of Justice to review the facts.

Relatives of the Black man shot by a white South Carolina trooper earlier this month say the trooper attempted an illegal traffic stop before the pursuit that led to the man's death. Attorneys for Tristan Vereen's family said at a Wednesday news conference that Master Trooper Whittney Blake Benton pulled Vereen over for a cracked windshield. Attorney Harry Daniels says the windshield wasn't a legal reason so Vereen had the right to resist arrest. Law enforcement officials say the stop was for an equipment violation.