North Carolina
Official: NC trooper shot while assisting stranded driver, suspect killed
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (FOX CAROLINA) – The North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) said a veteran trooper was injured in a shooting along an interstate Monday night.
According to First Sergeant Christopher Knox, at approximately 7:35 p.m., a trooper with the State Highway Patrol was shot while assisting a stranded motorist on I-26 west near mile marker 33. The motorist took out a gun, fired and hit Trooper Jeffrey L. Dunlap in the chest.
Knox said a round was stopped by Trooper Dunlap’s ballistic vest and he was able to return fire, hitting the suspect. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
Trooper Dunlap is a 13-year veteran assigned to Buncombe County. He was taken to a local hospital for observation and has since been released.
The suspect was identified as 57-year-old Wesley Scott Taylor of Leicester, NC.
Knox said in accordance with agency protocol, Trooper Dunlap has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
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