Charleston Reporter

A Charleston resident has been sentenced in connection with rioting that occurred following protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Abraham Jenkins, 26, pleaded guilty to civil disorders related to the violent destruction of downtown Charleston and received an 18-month sentence in federal prison, a release from the U.S. District Attorney's Office in South Carolina said.

He is the second of six defendants sentenced on federal charges due to participation in the violent rioting, the DA's office release said.

After serving his prison sentence, Jenkins will have 36 months of supervised release.

On May 30, 2020, violent protests broke out in Charleston, following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, The Post and Courier reported.

Dozens of businesses were destroyed, looted and vandalized by rioters in Charleston that weekend.

In a report by FITSNews.com, many in the Charleston community expressed skepticism that police were responding appropriately to the riots, with County Sheriff Al Cannon stating that police were not making enough arrests and business owners complaining that, “We sat for three-plus hours with no assistance to protect our businesses.”

Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds said that they will continue to investigate those responsible for the unrest that led to destruction and assault.

“More work remains to be accomplished as we continue investigating and prosecuting those violent offenders responsible for the significant destruction of property, assault on our citizens and attack on our officers,” he said in the DA's office release. “We will not rest until justice is accomplished for all impacted by those criminal acts.”

According to evidence presented in court, Jenkins stood on and damaged the roof of a police cruiser, sprayed officers with a fire extinguisher on two occasions, threw items at a patrolling officer and threw a burning T-shirt into a police vehicle, the DA's office release said.

“We are grateful for the work done by the ATF, Charleston police department and (the) South Carolina Law Enforcement Division that helped bring this offender to justice,” FBI special agent in charge, Susan Ferensic, told FITSNews.