Laurens, S.C.; December 11, 2020 – A Laurens man will spend the next 22 years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday afternoon to charges stemming from an incident in which he shot a law enforcement officer, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Friday.
Kevin Boyce Patterson, 28, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of attempted murder, unlawful carrying of a pistol, and possession of a weapon by a person convicted of a crime of violence. Presiding Circuit Judge Thomas Hughston then sentenced Patterson to 22 years in prison on the attempted murder charge, one year in prison on the unlawful carry charge, and five years in prison on the weapon charge, all to run concurrently.
In April 2019, Patterson went with family members to the emergency room at Prisma Laurens County Memorial Hospital. Patterson was in one of the rooms with the family members when it was reported to emergency room staff that he was carrying a gun. When officers entered the room to confront him, Patterson fired multiple shots before fleeing the room. One of the shots struck a security officer above the bulletproof vest.
Patterson fled out to the waiting room where he attempted to drag his father out of the hospital at gunpoint. Officers pursued Patterson outside of the doors to the emergency room and after shooting Patterson in the forearm, were able to disarm Patterson and take him into custody.
Assistant Solicitor Jared Simmons handled the case for the state with the assistance of 8th Circuit Victim Advocate Joy Lindsay and Investigator Walter Bentley.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff along with lead investigator Senior Special Agent Melissa Skipper Wallace of the State Law Enforcement Division in securing the conviction and lengthy prison sentence. Stumbo also lauded Officer Michael O’Connell of the GReenville Health Authority Police Department, along with hospital security officer Dale Crumpton, S.C. Highway Patrol Trooper Cody Ward who happened to be in the ER at the time of the incident, in quickly eliminating the threat without any loss of life or critical injury.
“It is absolutely unacceptable to recklessly fire a gun anywhere, but particularly inside a hospital where medical staff are working hard to preserve life and treat those in need,” Solicitor Stumbo said. “It is a blessing that the innocent people in the emergency room, including the brave officers who confronted and eliminated the threat, were not killed or critically injured that night. I hope this long sentence in a maximum-security prison sends a message to criminals like Kevin Patterson who want to terrorize innocent people with guns that it will not be tolerated.”