Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Eric Nicholson was shot and killed while attempting to stop a bank robbery suspect on Interstate 85 and Woodruff Road in Greenville.
Around noon, Trooper Nicholson observed the suspect driving a motor scooter on Interstate 85 and attempted to stop him. The driver pulled into an industrial parking lot, and before Trooper Nicholson was able to exit his cruiser, the suspect opened fire. Trooper Nicholson was shot several times. The suspect then fled the scene in a getaway vehicle with an accomplice. Trooper Nicholson was flown to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Officers traced the vehicle tag to a residence and attempted to arrest the suspect. Those officers were then engaged in a shootout and a car chase that left another deputy injured. The suspect was shot and wounded after being cornered on a dead-end road and taken into custody.
The suspect, with warrants for multiple robberies, was sentenced to death in January 2002. In 2026, his death sentence was temporarily set aside due to mental illness. He was also convicted of shooting the deputy and additional charges, and sentenced to 138 years. His accomplice was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Trooper Nicholson was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for 2-1/2 years.
Survivors
Survivors include his wife, parents, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-8822184A- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Trooper Nicholson gave the South Carolina Highway Patrol 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of South Carolina, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Eric Francis Nicholson served in the Marine Corps (1991â1995) before joining law enforcement.
Trooper Eric Francis Nicholson is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In SC, 271 of 438 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 61.9% of this state's fallen. That is 7.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At South Carolina Highway Patrol, 20 of 52 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 38.5% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Eric Francis Nicholson's cause is highlighted.
How Eric Francis Nicholson Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Eric Francis Nicholson is highlighted in Dec.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths.
Others Who Wore This Badge
51 officers from South Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
