Kevin Ellis
Gaston Gazette, Gastonia, N.C.
A Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot on U.S. 74 near Kings Mountain late Tuesday night and then airlifted by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, according to Sheriff Alan Norman.
The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday between Kings Mountain and Shelby. The deputy, who was shot in the face and thigh, had apparently stopped to talk to the suspect who was wanted on probation or parole violations. The suspect was later captured in Cabarrus County and has been brought back to Cleveland County to face charges. His name has not been released.
“We’re praying for his full recovery,” Norman said around 12:15 a.m. Wednesday while at the scene. “Right now my main concern is for the deputy, his family and the men and women I work with.”
Officers were working to develop a person of interest in the case throughout the night.
He described the call notifying him a deputy had been shot as one of the worst moments in a law enforcement officer’s life.
“The deputy came to do his job today and serve the people of Cleveland County to the best of his abilities,” Norman said. “It’s unfortunate, but someone attempted to take his life.”
A Shelby Police Department vehicle also was involved in a wreck on U.S. 74 around the same time, according to Highway Patrol. It was not immediately known if the two incidents are related.
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©2018 Gaston Gazette, Gastonia, N.C.