Officers involved in shooting during Bladen Co. traffic stop
BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. -- The Bladen County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that a sheriff's deputy and an Elizabethtown police officer were involved in a shooting during a traffic stop Saturday morning.
WWAY reports a Bladen County deputy stopped a vehicle around 1 a.m. in Elizabethtown after the driver ran two red lights. After stopping the vehicle, the deputy found out the driver had an outstanding felony arrest warrant.
The arrest warrant was for failing to appear on a charge of possession with intent to manufacture, sell, and deliver marijuana.
"The deputy had the driver step out of the vehicle and told him he was under arrest for the outstanding warrant," Sheriff James McVicker said in the news release. "When he patted the driver down, he located a small bag of a controlled substance."
WWAY reports there was a struggle between the driver and the deputy, and the driver pulled out a handgun from his vehicle. An Elizabethtown officer had just arrived, and the deputy told the officer about the driver's gun. The driver reportedly fired at the officer, and both the officers returned fire, McVicker said.
According to authorities, neither officer was hit. The driver was struck several times and was taken to the hospital. His condition was unknown.
The SBI will investigate, and the officers will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice in an officer-involved shooting.
