Suspect fired on seven South Carolina officers accused of murder

The man suspected of firing on seven South Carolina police has been charged with murder, authorities said Friday.

Fred Hopkins, 74, is said to have ambushed deputies who were serving a search warrant in a house in Florence, said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott at a news conference.

"As soon as they arrived, the ambush was in place," said Lott.

Fred Hopkins has been charged with the murder of Terrence Carraway, a veteran of the 52-year-old Florence Police Department, who was pronounced dead at the hospital on Wednesday. He was also charged with six counts of attempted murder, one for each of the officers who were shot dead.

The police went to Florence's home to execute a search warrant against Seth Hopkins, 27, accused of sexual assault. Seth Hopkins lives in the Florence home, although it was not clearly established when he was linked to Fred Hopkins.

The charges against Seth Hopkins involved a minor at home and the Florence County Sheriff's Office had been called several times, a source at the County Sheriff's Office told ABC News. There were four children in the family home at the time of the incident, the source said.

Seth Hopkins has been charged with second-degree criminal sexual behavior, Lott said.

On the day of the shooting, Fred Hopkins reportedly used a high-powered rifle on the second floor of the house when police officers approached, the source said.

Three deputies from the Florence County Sheriff's Office and four officers from the Florence Police Department were injured, the authorities said. Officers from the Florence Police Department intervened on the scene to help the sheriff's office worsen the situation.

Lott pointed out that the officers followed the procedures by responding to the scene.

"These officers have done absolutely nothing wrong," he said. "I do not want anyone to think their procedures were wrong."

Fred Hopkins finally gave up and got out of the house with his hands in the air, according to the source.

The FBI is participating in the investigation, Lott said. He described the case as a "very big complex puzzle" that the investigators complete "piece by piece".

It will take seven to ten days to deal with the crime scene, said Lott.

A calendar of events will be released in the near future, said Lott.

Fred Hopkins is a former lawyer who was struck off in 1982 by the Supreme Court of South Carolina, according to the archives. His wife, Cheryl Turner Hopkins, is also a lawyer.