COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – An Augusta man already convicted in state court for shooting a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday on a related federal gun charge.
Federal prosecutors say Derrick Gathers will appear for sentencing at 10 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Columbia after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. The charge stems from an April 16, 2023, traffic stop along U.S. 78 in Bamberg County, where authorities say Gathers shot Lance Cpl. B.A. Frazier in the face and then led officers on a high‑speed chase.
According to a federal sentencing memo, Frazier stopped Gathers around 3:23 a.m. for driving about 90 mph in a 55 mph zone near Denmark. Frazier initially approached on the passenger side and obtained a driver’s license, but when he went back to his patrol car, he realized the license appeared to be fraudulent.
A backup deputy arrived, and Frazier returned to the vehicle on the driver’s side to get a better look at the driver and confirm his identity. Prosecutors say that’s when Gathers pulled a handgun, shot Frazier in the face at point‑blank range and sped away with a woman still in the passenger seat…