PICTURED: North Carolina cop, 25, who was shot dead by carjacking suspect, 29, who was also killed after injuring another officer
A North Carolina police officer and an armed carjacking suspect were killed in a shootout overnight that also wounded a second officer.
The deadly gunfire exchange took place just before 11pm on Wednesday on Gateway Lane in Concord. The city’s about 23 miles northeast of Charlotte.
Authorities on Thursday identified the slain officer as 25-year-old Jason Shuping, who joined the force last year.
During a press conference on Thursday, Concord Police Chief Gary Gacek said officers were responding to a report about a car crash on Bruton Smith Boulevard when they came upon a vehicle that had crashed into a guardrail and been abandoned.
Concord police officer Jason Shuping, 25 , was shot dead, and his colleague Kaleb Robinson, 23 , was injured during a shootout with a suspect
A screenshot show the scene in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday night, after the deadly shootout
A suspected carjacker opened fire on the officers and was killed in the shootout
As the officers and an Alcohol Law Enforcement agent who arrived on scene investigated, they were approached by a woman who told them that a man had just tried to carjack her vehicle and then fled on foot toward the Sonic fast-foot eatery on Gateway Lane NW.
Concord police officers Shuping and Kaleb Robinson tracked down a man matching the witness's description of the suspect in the parking lot of the restaurant.
As the officers approached the suspect, Chief Gacek said he produced a gun and opened fire, striking both cops and killing Shuping, reported WBTV.
The suspect then got into an SUV that did not belong to him as two more officers approached on foot. More gunshots were exchanged, killing the suspect.
The police chief said that Robinson, 23, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was expected to make a full recovery.
Gunfire broke out after police arrived at a Sonic eatery looking for a man who had attempted to steal a woman's car
Concord Police Chief Gary Gacek described the killing of his officer as 'tragic and senseless'
Wednesday's incident marked the first time that a Concord police officer was killed in the line of duty.
'This tragic and senseless loss of a member of our CPD family is devastating not only to the officer's family and loved ones but to every law enforcement officer in this city, county, state and country,' Gacek said.
Shuping had been on the force for one-and-a-half years. He is survived by his young wife.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper released a statement paying tribute to the fallen officer.
'I spoke with his parents and Concord Police Chief Gacek this morning offering support, condolences and prayers,' Cooper wrote. 'This tragedy along with Officer Herndon’s death last week reminds us that law enforcement officers have extremely difficult, sometimes dangerous jobs, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their courage and service.'
Police have yet to release the identity of the gunman, who was described as a 29-year-old convicted felon from Charlotte.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation into the incident.
Three Concord police officers involved in the shooting have been put on administrative leave, per department policy.
'There's no playbook for this,' Chief Gacek said in his remarks to the press. 'Concord Police Department is compromised of a resilient bunch. We're going to get through this. We're a big family.'
The fatal shooting marks the second time since last week that a police officer was killed near the Charlotte area. Mount Holly Police Officer Tyler Herndon was fatally shot early Friday in Gaston County. A suspect in that shooting is in custody and has been charged with murder.