KINSTON, NC -- A NC State Highway Patrol Trooper (NCSHP) is on administrative duty after a shooting that resulted in a death early Sunday morning.
According to NCSHP's main office, the trooper was responding to assist the Lenior County Sheriff's Office on a shots fired call when the incident happened. The call came in around 2:15 am for assistance at Club Aries, which is located at the intersection of Suttontown Road and Poole Road in Kinston.
When the trooper arrived on scene he reported that two men started running towards him and one of them was armed with a gun. The trooper gave commands for the man to stop and drop his weapon, but the man pointed the gun at the trooper. The trooper fired his gun at the man who was struck and killed from the gunshot.
The trooper is identified as 29-year-old William H. Hardison. He has worked in the Lenoir County office for six years. Trooper Hardison is currently on Administrative Duty while the investigation is going on.
The second person was taken into custody without incident.
According to a release from NCSHP, two weapons were recovered at the scene.
The NC State Bureau of Investigtions (SBI) has taken over the investigation into the incident.
“This type of incident is a reminder of the serious and dangerous situations our troopers face every single day,” North Carolina State Highway Patrol Colonel William Grey said. “We are saddened by the loss of life but grateful that our trooper is safe"
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