South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster walks into House chambers to give his State of The State address Wednesday, Jan. 24., 2024, at the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C. Directly behind him to his left is Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia. To his right is Rep. Jay West, R-Belton. Giving two thumbs up in the background is McMaster’s Chief of Staff Trey Walker. (Mary Ann Chastain/ Special to the SC Daily Gazette)
COLUMBIA — Gov. Henry McMaster used his seventh State of the State address on Wednesday to renew his request for South Carolina lawmakers to increase criminal penalties for felons caught illegally carrying guns in the state.
To make his point, he told the story of a Highway Patrol officer shot by a man with a lengthy criminal record.
The governor began his narrative in Bamberg County, where in the early morning of April 16, 2023, Lance Corporal B.A. Frazier pulled over a speeder in Bamberg County. As other officers arrived, the man Frazier stopped shot him in the face.
Officers returned fire as the man sped away. The man eventually crashed into a home in Branchville.