Driver shot by trooper during traffic stop in Brunswick Co. dies

BRUNSWICK CO., N.C. (WTVD) -- The driver who attempted to run over a state trooper during a traffic stop and was subsequently shot by that trooper has died, State Highway Patrol said.

The traffic stop happened around 9 p.m. on New Year's Day on NC-130 near Shallotte.

State Highway Patrol said the driver, Brandon Lovell Webster, 28, of Shallotte, accelerated toward the trooper S. A. Collins during the traffic stop in an effort to get away. That's when the trooper Collins opened fire on the driver.

Webster was found a short time later at the Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center.

Collins has been placed on administrative duty pending an investigation into what happened, which is agency protocol for any officer-involved shooting.