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COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. – A soldier from the North Carolina Highway Patrol was shot dead Wednesday morning while he was conducting traffic control in the southeast state, according to the Department of Public Safety .
We first updated users of the WSOCTV news app with a notification shortly after 5:45 am on Wednesday, indicating that the soldier had been killed and the suspect had been captured.
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North Carolina State Highway Patrol Sgt. Michael Baker said the rider, Kevin K. Conner, had been shot down shortly after midnight while he was conducting a road check on the US 701 near Sellers Town Road in Columbus County.
Baker said at approximately 12:15 pm that Conner had stopped a GMC white van for speeding violations in a rural area of 701 US. The truck driver stopped on the shoulder and fired several shots as the soldier approached.
"The driver of this vehicle fired several shots, hitting the soldier," Baker told reporters at a press briefing Wednesday morning.
The suspect escaped and Conner was taken to the hospital where he died.
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According to Baker, the driver then went about 20 km west of Fair Bluff, near the South Carolina border, where he was pursued by police. The truck became disabled on the city's railroad tracks and the suspect ran away on foot. Authorities said the suspect was arrested around 4 am after a thorough search.
The suspect's name has not been revealed and charges are pending, authorities said.
"The road patrol family mourns the loss of a hero and will forever be upset by the tragic events that have occurred," said Col. Glenn McNeill Jr., commander of the Highway Patrol on l & # 39; state. "We ask everyone to keep Conner's family and all those who knew him in your thoughts and prayers."
Conner was an 11-year-old veteran assigned to District 5 Troop B in Columbus County.
"We express our deepest sympathies to the family of Private Conner," said Public Safety Secretary Erik A. Hooks. "Rider Conner was killed while protecting and serving his community. We mourn our loss and continue to support his family. We are grateful for his service and honor the men and women who daily serve in a dangerous way. "
Social networks expressed the soldier's condolences. Baker said the patrol asked people to keep the soldier, his family, and the whole organization in their prayers.
"We are really in mourning as a result of our loss," he said.
Check back on wsoctv.com for updates to this developing story.
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