SC man pleads guilty in gun battle where Highway Patrol trooper was shot

When S.C. Highway Patrol trooper Paul Wise flashed his blue lights last year and finally stopped a fleeing motorist for driving without a seat belt the man jumped out of his BMW and began rapid-firing a pistol at him, according to prosecutors.

Bullets struck Wise in the neck and in his bulletproof vest. Wise — strong enough to shoot back — returned fire and hit the man, then arrested him.

On Tuesday, the first step in what could be a lengthy prison term for the man, William “Willie” Wright, 28, of Gaffney, took place in a federal courtroom in Columbia, when Wright pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary Lewis to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Wright, also known as “Quentin Mitchell,” will soon face the more serious state charges of attempted murder and use of a weapon during a violent crime, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott Daniels told Judge Lewis. Those charges will be aired in a York County courtroom, where the shootout took place, Daniels said. Under state law, Wright faces up to 30 years in prison for attempted murder if convicted.

“Thankfully Trooper Wise recovered from his injuries,” Daniels told Lewis, adding that a State Law Enforcement Division crime scene team found 12 empty shell cases from Wright’s gun, an FN Herstal, model 57 semi-automatic pistol that was manufactured in Belgium. Wright also recovered from his injuries.

The shootout took place on the evening of June 2, about a half hour before sunset, between Rock Hill and Tega Cay in York County, according to evidence in the case. It lasted less than a minute, according to Wise’s dashcam video, which was released publicly by law enforcement.

At the time, Wright was a convicted felon, having been released from S.C. prison after serving a multiple-year sentence for 2013 convictions including attempted armed robbery, attempted murder and assault and battery, Daniels said.

It is against the law for convicted felons to possess firearms. State authorities often turn persons charged with that crime over to federal law enforcement because under federal law, a convicted felon in possession of a firearm can get a harsher sentence in federal court — up to 10 years — than in state court.

Issues aired during Wright’s appearance before Judge Lewis with the judge and Wright’s lawyer, Nicole Simpson, included whether any prison time he might get in state court would be consecutive to or served at the same time, as his federal prison term. That issue was not settled. Judge Lewis will sentence Wright for the firearms violation at a later date.

In Tuesday’s hearing, Wright told the judge he had struggled with mental illness since he was in his early teens and he was now under psychiatric care. But he said he understood what he was doing in court. Judge Lewis found him competent to plead guilty.

Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett could not be reached for comment.

State Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, Wright’s other attorney, said Tuesday he would decline comment until after the state charges against his client are resolved.

At the time of Wright’s arrest, then- U.S. Attorney Sherri Lydon gave the case a high profile, saying it was an example of violence against law enforcement and “will not be tolerated.”

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also investigated the case.

Wright, who appeared in Tuesday’s hearing in manacles, is being held without bond at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.

Wright was indicted by a York County grand jury in August 2019 on charges of .attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and failure to stop for a blue light, records show.

No trial date has been set in York County for Wright’s weapons and attempted murder charges, said 16th Circuit Deputy Solicitor Willy Thompson, who is prosecuting the case.

Reporter Andrew Dys in Rock Hill contributed to this story.

This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 12:00 AM with the headline "SC man pleads guilty in gun battle where Highway Patrol trooper was shot."