SC felon’s sentences concurrent in 2019 case where he shot York County trooper
A South Carolina felon who shot a York County trooper in 2019 has been sentenced in federal court to concurrent prison terms related to a second charge.
Willie Bernard Wright, 28, was sentenced to 98 months Tuesday in federal court in Columbia. He pleaded guilty in December 2020 to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. However, because Wright already is serving a 35-year-sentence, a federal judge ruled the 98 months of federal time will run concurrent to a state sentence Wright received last December, court records show.
Wright was sentenced to 35 years in South Carolina prison last December when he pleaded guilty to attempted murder, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during a violent crime, and failure to stop for a police officer.
Wright, of Gaffney, shot S.C. Highway Patrol trooper Paul Wise on June 2, 2019. Wise, of York County, survived the shooting.
The shooting was caught on Wise’s dashcam video in his patrol car.
Federal gun charge
Wright was on probation at the time of the shooting, records show. He was released from prison in 2018 after serving a six-year sentence for attempted murder, attempted armed robbery, and assault in a Rock Hill incident, court records show.
Under federal law, anyone convicted of a felony is banned from having a gun or ammunition.
Wise pulled Wright over on India Hook Road, between Rock Hill and Lake Wylie, after a chase on June 2, 2019. Wright got out of a BMW and fired what prosecutors said were several “cop-killer bullets” at Wise. Wise was hit in the chest by a bullet that pierced the windshield of his car and the bulletproof vest he was wearing.
”This officer-involved shooting underscores the sacrifice of serving and the dangers our law enforcement face on the job each day,” said Colonel Chris Williamson, Commander of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. “The South Carolina Highway Patrol commends the decisive and brave actions of Trooper Paul Wise when he was fired upon during this incident.
Prosecutors said the windshield and vest saved Wise’s life.
Wright was arrested by Wise and other officers at the scene and has been in jail ever since.
This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 3:49 PM.
