Greenville officer shoots, kills robbery suspect
The State Bureau of Investigation is looking into the fatal shooting of a robbery suspect by a Greenville police officer Thursday.
Posted — UpdatedDeputy Chief Joe Bartlett said that John Cecil Wainwright, 36, of Farmville, was shot and killed by Cpl. Scott Johnson.
Bartlett said officers stopped Wainwright because his vehicle matched the description of one used in a pharmacy robbery that happened minutes earlier.
WNCT reports that officers approached Wainwright with drawn guns, and they fired at him when he lunged back into his truck, where he had a gun.
Police said they also found drugs and Oxycotin in his truck. Oxycotin was stolen during the pharmacy robbery.
Bartlett says Johnson is a 15-year veteran of the department and is on paid leave, following usual procedure when an officer is involved in a shooting. The SBI review of the shooting also follows standard protocol.
Friend Adam Jones told WITN-TV in Greenville that Wainwright was engaged to be married. Employees at a local body shop said he resigned as assistant manager there a few months ago.
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