Daughter of accused Florence, SC cop killer charged in assaulting officer, record says

The daughter of a Florence man accused in a fatal police shooting was charged in an assault on a police officer Friday evening, court records show.

Florence County Sheriff’s Office charged 31-year-old Kellie Nicole Hopkins with third degree assault and battery and resisting arrest while assaulting an officer as well as public disorderly conduct.

Hopkins is the daughter of Fred Hopkins Jr., the man who is charged with killing two Florence police officers and wounding five others in a shocking 2018 shooting.

Documents obtained by The State in 2018 show that Kellie Nicole Hopkins is the daughter of Fred Hopkins Jr. She is also listed as living at the same address where Fred Hopkins lived and where the shooting happened.

WCBD reported on Kellie Nicole Hopkins’s arrest.

Florence deputies jailed Hopkins at the Florence County Detention Center. She attended a hearing at about 8 p.m. where a judge ordered her to remain jailed until she posted $10,000 bond, records show. She posted the bond and was released later that night.

Florence County Judge David Kelley ordered that Hopkins not return to the incident location. Kelley also ordered that Hopkins not contact an alleged victim, directly or indirectly. Court records don’t clarify who the victim is.

The State has requested arrest warrants and police reports to get details about the incident that led to Hopkins’s arrest.

Deputies arrested Hopkins hours after her father had a court hearing related to the shooting charges against him, WCBD reported.

In October 2018, Florence deputy Farrah Turner and other officers arrived at the Hopkinses’ home to investigate an allegation of child molestation against Seth Hopkins, the son of Fred.

Fred Hopkins Jr. opened fire on the deputies from a concealed location inside the house, according to police. Multiple police agencies rushed to the scene. An hours-long standoff ensued. Hundreds of bullets were fired, investigators said.

Fred Hopkins killed Turner and Florence Police Department Officer Terrence Carraway and wounded five other officers, police said.

He is charged with two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. His case is still pending. He could be sentenced to the death penalty.

His son, Seth, now 30, pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct with a minor in December 2019. A judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

Resisting arrest while assaulting an officer is a felony. If guilty on that charge, Kellie Nicole Hopkins could be sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In 2018, The State wrote a story on police reports that documented the turmoil inside the home of the Hopkins where eight adopted children had lived before the shooting. Drug use, out-of-control teens, theft and assaults were described in the reports.

The State attempted to contact legal representation for Kellie Nicole Hopkins but an attorney was not yet publicly listed.

This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 3:04 PM.

David Travis Bland

The State

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David Travis Bland is The State’s editorial editor. In his prior position as a reporter, he was named the 2020 South Carolina Journalist of the Year by the SC Press Association. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010. Support my work with a digital subscription