Woman dies in officer-involved shooting on I-40 east of Benson
BENSON, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A woman has died after an armed confrontation with a trooper and a Johnston County deputy on Interstate 40 east of Benson Saturday morning.
On Tuesday, Tina Medlin's mother confirmed that she died at WakeMed.
The incident began just after 6:30 a.m. when the Highway Patrol and Johnston County Sheriff's Office were alerted to a single-vehicle crash in the westbound lanes.
In recorded radio traffic, a dispatcher tells officers that witnesses are reporting they approached the wrecked SUV and a woman inside had a gun and said she wanted to kill herself.
The first officers on the scene found a woman lying on the highway with the gun.
"Shots fired! Shots fired!" an officer is heard yelling in the recorded radio traffic.
As trooper J.L Taylor and Johnston County Deputy Taylor Davis approached her, a spokesman for the Highway Patrol said 50-year-old Tina Medlin shot at them and they returned fire.
Medlin was taken to WakeMed where she was listed in critical condition.
An earlier news release from the Highway Patrol Saturday said Medlin had "succumbed to her injuries," which was incorrect.
Pictures from the scene of the shooting showed the wrecked SUV on the shoulder with most of its doors open.
The entire area was roped off with crime tape.
Agents with the SBI were seen collecting evidence.
The Johnston County Sheriff's Office and the Highway Patrol said Trooper Taylor and Deputy Davis have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard in officer-involved shootings.
Trooper Taylor was featured in an ABC11 story in 2015 when he escorted a group of children around a fire scene.
Medlin's mother has declined to speak on camera, but told ABC11 Monday that "hundreds have called with their love, support, and prayers for Tina."
The State Bureau of Investigation is asking for any witnesses to call them at 1 (800) 334-3000.
