A bill named after a state trooper killed in the line of duty was overwhelmingly passed by North Carolina lawmakers on Wednesday and is now heading to Governor Roy Cooper’s desk.
House Bill 283, also called Conner’s Law, toughens the punishment for anyone convicted of assault with a firearm on law enforcement, probation and parole officers, or assault with a deadly weapon against other emergency responders.
The bill also provides an extra death benefit for families of public safety workers killed in the line of duty.
It’s named after former North Carolina State Trooper Kevin K. Conner, who was shot and killed last October while making a traffic stop in Columbus County.
The N.C. House unanimously passed the bill back in March. It then languished in Senate committees for approximately five months before a slightly altered version of the bill was unanimously passed by state senators on Sept. 10.
Nearly a year after Conner’s death, the final version of the bill bearing his name passed the House on Wednesday, 103-1.
“It has been a long road getting here. We have cried, grieved, and mourned for our friend Kevin. But let us rejoice today in his memory,” said Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus), one of the bill’s original sponsors. "I ask that everyone please continue to remember Miranda, Briley, Braxton, Glenn and Kay in their thoughts and prayers.
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