RALEIGH, N.C. (AP/WBTW) — The North Carolina legislature has agreed to raise current criminal penalties against people who assault law enforcement officers with a gun and emergency service workers who are seriously attacked while performing their duties.
The House gave final legislative approval on Wednesday to the measure named in memory of State Trooper Kevin Conner. He was fatally shot in October 2018 while stopping a pickup truck on a Columbus County road for a speeding violation. Two people are awaiting trial in his death.
Governor Roy Cooper signed the bill known as “Conner’s Law” into effect on Wednesday. After the signing Cooper called Conner’s wife Miranda to inform her that the bill is now law.
The measure also would provide an additional $100,000 death benefit to the survivors of a public safety employee who is “murdered in the line of duty.” That benefit would be retroactive to such deaths since July 2016.
“Law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way every day and we should never forget the sacrifice of those who have fallen in the line of duty.” Said Cooper in a statement, “I have spoken to Trooper Kevin Conner’s family and know how much he meant to them and to his community and our state. I hope that in his honor and memory, Conner’s Law will help prevent future violence against the brave men and women who keep our communities safe.”
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