Death penalty sought against accused SC cop killer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a man accused of gunning down an Aiken police officer last year.

Solicitor Strom Thurmond Jr. said this week he would pursue the death penalty for 20-year-old Stephon Carter.

Carter is charged with murder in the death of Aiken Officer Scotty Richardson. The 33-year-old father of three died Dec. 21, a day after he was shot in the head during a traffic stop.

Richardson was the first of two Aiken officers to be killed on the job in just more than a month. On Jan. 28, Master Cpl. Sandy Rogers was shot responding to a suspicious activity call in an Aiken neighborhood.

The police force veteran was the first female officer killed in the line of duty in South Carolina history.