The ordeal began in Eureka Springs when officers on routine patrol spotted a drug transaction and tried to pull over a Honda utility vehicle that had three people inside it.
Instead, officers heard a loud bang and saw 31-year-old Darrell Stephen Hunter of Hope Mills as well as a female passenger jump out of the vehicle and run off.
When officers approached the utility vehicle they found a third person in the back seat with a gunshot wound in his leg. That person was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.
K-9 Units, Crime Scene Investigator, and Major Crimes Investigative Unit Detectives responded to the scene. A 10 mm firearm, a bag of marijuana, and a plastic bag of white powdery substance were found, the sheriff's office said..
The sheriff's office is actively searching for Hunter, who was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, red shorts, and red socks. He was last seen on Center Street.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective J. Upchurch with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Investigative Unit at (910) 677-5539 or Crimestoppers at (910) 483-8477.
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