Garner murder suspect accused of shooting Raleigh SWAT officer appears in court
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A murder suspect who allegedly shot a police officer in Raleigh on Thursday night was arraigned in court on Friday afternoon.
The shooting happened at a north Raleigh apartment complex in the 7100 block of Woodbend Drive off Six Forks Road.
The suspect, 26-year-old Solomon Owens, of Durham, is accused of killing Joseph "Joey" Adams, a father of five who was found shot to death on Feb. 9 in a car in Garner.
It was while police were trying to arrest Owens for that deadly incident that he had a shootout with police, hitting one of the officers in the back of the head.
Owens is facing 13 charges. The majority of those are in Wake County, but there are two weapons charges out of Durham.
In court, Owens either looked down or around the courtroom as a judge read through all the charges at his arraignment.
Court documents say he used an AR pistol when he fired a shot at law enforcement officers.
He was ordered to be held without bond.
Documents show Owens allegedly shot Raleigh SWAT officer J. Rich in the back of the head. The officer was wearing a ballistic helmet at the time. He was treated at WakeMed and later released.
Owens also sustained injuries during the exchange and was treated at the hospital before being released into police custody.
A law enforcement expert said the helmet, intense training, and advanced parademics in the field likely saved the officer's life.
"This wasn't a regular Raleigh police officer that was shot. It was a member of their SWAT team," Dr. Roy Taylor said. "They have more armor - more protective equipment. They're going in with a plan. This is just something that they're, we kind of routinely doing. I mean, they know this is an armed suspect. He's wanted for murder. The likelihood he's going to shoot is great. And so, they're going to be very well prepared."
Taylor added that, unfortunately, the number of officer-involved shootings has increased in the last few years.
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The motive in the shooting death of Adams remains unclear.
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