An off-duty North Carolina police officer was fatally shot while confronting a criminal suspect at a gas station Saturday, authorities said.
The veteran cop — who has served 22 years with the Greensboro Police Department — “witnessed a crime in progress” around 4 p.m. at the Sheetz location on Sandy Ridge Road in the town of Colfax when he acted, Chief John Thompson told reporters.
“The officer approached the suspect and was then shot,” Thompson said.
Police issued an alert Saturday night saying they were looking for a black Chevrolet Equinox, but the alert was canceled hours later, according to WXII12.
There is no official information if the suspect in the officer’s murder is in custody.
No additional information was released as of Sunday morning as police conducted an “active and ongoing homicide investigation.”
The slain officer was a 22-year veteran of the Greensboro Police Department.
The officer, who was not immediately publicly identified “out of respect for the family,” was treated by another off-duty officer — who happened to be at the scene — in addition to paramedics.
He was taken to a local medical facility, where he succumbed to his injuries.
“He was a loving husband, father, son and brother with 22 years of service to the department,” Thompson said. “We ask for prayers for the families of the fallen officers and the families of our Greensboro PD. He is a loving husband, father, son and brother with 22 years of service in the department.”
The officer succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
“We ask for prayers for the families of the fallen officers and the families of our Greensboro PD.”
In a statement, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper expressed his condolences and support in tracking down the suspect.
“I spoke with Greensboro Police Chief Thompson earlier this afternoon offering all of the state’s resources available to arrest those who killed a Greensboro police officer,” Cooper said. “Our prayers are with the Greensboro police and the family and loved ones. Every effort must be made to arrest those responsible and bring justice in this tragic situation.”
An “active and ongoing homicide investigation” is underway, Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson said.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan called the fatal shooting “one of the hardest things I’ve faced as mayor.”
“Words are not enough right now,” Vaughan told reporters. “Actually, there is nothing I can say that will give comfort to the family or the officers. What happened today was a senseless act of terrorism and we must remember that.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
