CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ A North Carolina State Trooper was shot and killed early Wednesday, south of the Columbus County town of Whiteville, according to 1st Sgt. Michael Baker with the State Highway Patrol.
The Highway Patrol identified the trooper as 11-year veteran Kevin K. Conner in a statement Wednesday morning.
"The Highway Patrol family is mourning the loss of a hero and will forever be changed by the tragic events that have occurred", said Col. Glenn McNeill Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol in the update. "We ask everyone to please keep Trooper Conner's family and all who knew him in your thoughts and prayers."
Southeastern Community College near Whiteville posted on Facebook that Conner is the husband of one of its staff members, music instructor Miranda Conner. "The SCC community, Columbus County, and the State of North Carolina mourns with her," said the post from SCC President Tony Clarke.
The shooting occurred at about 12:15 a.m., during a traffic stop on US 701 near Sellers Town Road, Baker said in a press release. The trooper was rushed to a hospital, but did not survive, Baker said.
Highway Patrol officials said the suspect "fired several shots, striking the trooper" from his white GMC pickup truck before fleeing the scene. His vehicle then "became disabled while attempting to cross over a railroad crossing" in Flair Bluff, officials said.
"Authorities were able to locate the suspect and place him in custody after an extensive search of the surrounding area," said Baker in the release. The suspect was caught around 4 a.m., reported TV station WWAY.
Officials had not released the suspect's identity as of the 9 a.m. Wednesday update.
This is the second time a state trooper has been killed in the line of duty this year.
On May 21, Trooper Samuel Newton Bullard, 24, died when his patrol car struck a bridge support and caught fire on Interstate 77 in Yadkin County, The Charlotte Observer reported. Troopers were chasing a BMW that drove through a checkpoint, officials said.
Bullard had been with the department three years, assigned to Surry County, according to information released by the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
A suspect in the car chase, Dakota Kape Whitt, 22, of Elkin, was captured and is charged with murder, according to the State Bureau of Investigation.
In nearby Sampson County, officials said an off-duty police officer was shot in the face Monday night.
The officer was identified as 31-year-old Justin Ryan Matthews of the Fayetteville Police Department, according to WNCN.
Matthews was said to be in stable condition as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.
