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Two sentencings reported on Aug. 13, 2026; outlets' accounts differ on defendant, conduct and term

Three South Carolina outlets report a 15-year federal sentence for Derrick Gathers over the 2023 shooting of a state trooper, while WCBM reports an 85-year sentence for a defendant in the Morgan State University mass shooting.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 13, 2026, 8:23 p.m. ET

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Three outlets — Fox Carolina, South Carolina Public Radio and WIS-TV — reported on Aug. 13, 2026 that Derrick Gathers, 40, of Augusta, was in the to 15 years in federal prison. WIS-TV reported the term as 180 months, with 80 months consecutive to his current state sentence and 100 months concurrent, followed by a three-year term of supervised release; South Carolina Public Radio described the same split, putting the consecutive portion at 80 months, or almost seven years. Fox Carolina reported that 80 of the 180 months are to be served consecutively to a 38-year state sentence Gathers is already serving. WIS-TV reported that 15 years is the maximum penalty for the offense. Accounts of the underlying conduct differ in detail. According to law enforcement cited by WIS-TV, Gathers shot Lance Cpl. B.A. Frazier in the face at point-blank range during an April 16, 2023 traffic stop near Denmark, S.C., then fled 18 miles before crashing; deputies recovered a stolen handgun he had used, and he had prior New York felony convictions prohibiting him from possessing firearms. Fox Carolina reported prosecutors said the shooting of Trooper B.A. Frazier occurred during an April 2023 traffic stop in Bamberg County, followed by an 18-mile chase that ended in a crash and his arrest. South Carolina Public Radio reported the government's account that Gathers, a convicted felon, shot South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. B.A. Frazier in the face during a 3:30 a.m. traffic stop in Bamberg County for speeding, then fled in an 11-minute pursuit that ended when he crashed into the yard of a home. The charges reported are felon in possession of a firearm and illegally possessing the firearm used in the attack. Separately, WCBM reported that Marquis Brown, 20, of Washington D.C., was to in connection with the 2023 mass shooting at Morgan State University, and that he faced up to 259 years. WCBM reported Brown was charged with five counts of attempted second-degree murder and related offenses, and that prosecutors say he was involved in the shooting on the Baltimore campus on the night of Oct. 3, 2023, in which five people, including four students, were shot. WCBM also reported that a second suspect, Javon "Chewy" Williams, also of Washington D.C., was indicted over the on-campus attack and was linked to the shooting by Baltimore Police, officials said; that report does not indicate the stage of any proceedings against Williams. The reports describe different defendants, different conduct and different punishments, and nothing in the accounts explains the gap between them. Both sets of figures therefore stand as each outlet published them: a sentence of 15 years (180 months) according to Fox Carolina, South Carolina Public Radio and WIS-TV, and one of 85 years according to WCBM, against a stated maximum of 15 years according to WIS-TV and up to 259 years according to WCBM.

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Revision history

  1. Version 314 Aug 2026, 00:23current

    Added Fox Carolina and South Carolina Public Radio accounts of the Gathers sentencing (38-year state sentence, Bamberg County 3:30 a.m. speeding stop, 11-minute pursuit ending in a crash into a home's yard, second charge) and the Aug. 13, 2026 announcement date; restructured to lead with the corroborated South Carolina case.

  2. Version 214 Aug 2026, 00:15

    Removed the phrase "the fact set" from the closing paragraph and rewrote that paragraph in reader-facing language, keeping the caveat that the two accounts cannot be reconciled. Restated both conflicting sentence figures and both conflicting statutory maximums with attribution, printing them exactly as sourced (15 years (180 months), 80 months consecutive, 100 months concurrent, three-year supervised release; 85 years; up to 259 years in prison). No facts added or attribution dropped.

  3. Version 113 Aug 2026, 03:34current

    First published.

  4. Version 113 Aug 2026, 03:24current

    First published.

  5. Version 113 Aug 2026, 03:52current

    First published.

  6. Version 113 Aug 2026, 03:28

    First published.

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