Felon gets max sentence on federal charge in shooting of 2 cops in Columbia after chase

A convicted felon accused of shooting two police officers after a chase that went from Cayce into downtown Columbia in May 2017 was sentenced by a judge Tuesday to the maximum allowed on a federal charge.

Eugene Jonathan James, 20 of Orangeburg, pleaded guilty last year to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs sentenced James on Tuesday to 10 years in prison, the maximum allowed on the charge, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The federal system does not have parole.

James led Cayce Department of Public Safety officers on a chase through Cayce and across the Blossom Street bridge into downtown Columbia on May 27, 2017, officials have said. He shot the two officers after stopping the stolen car, running into a wooded area not far from Founder Park and “lying in wait” for the officers, officials said. James also was shot during an exchange of gunfire.

“As a law enforcement officer’s spouse, we know the risks our loved ones take when they strap on their body armor and kiss us on the way out of the door,” said the wife of one of the injured officers, who spoke in court but was not identified. “We know that may be the last kiss. We pray for their safety and their safe return home. As a spouse, we dread phone calls in the middle of the night and knocks on the door — especially when our loved ones are working. My nightmare became reality, with one simple phone call.”

Investigators determined the car James was driving had been stolen during a carjacking in Orangeburg County two weeks earlier, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The serial number on the .40-caliber Smith & Wesson that was lying at his feet had been burned in an attempt to obliterate; however, investigators were able to restore the numbe and determine the gun had been stolen during the theft of another vehicle in Orangeburg County days earlier.

James had been convicted of third-degree burglary in Orangeburg County a month earlier and was sentenced to probation, according to officials. He also was out of jail on bond at the time for armed robbery and weapon charges in Richland County from a March 2017 incident.

James still faces state charges in Richland County including attempted murder and weapon charges for the shootings of the two officers.