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Man Critically Injured In Fayetteville Police Drug Bust

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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A man is in critical condition after Fayetteville police said an officer shot him during an undercoveroperation Wednesday evening.

Police said the shooting happened during a drug bust in the parking lot of the Eckerd's drugstore on Bingham Drive, near Raeford Road.

Lt. Katherine Bryant said officers were arresting Charlie Daniel Patterson, 33, and found a weapon. A second man tried to get away in a sport utility vehicle. Bryant said investigators are trying to determine exactly what happened next.

At some point, the man crashed the SUV into a fence and an officer fired at least twice. The victim, who has not been identified, is in critical condition at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

The undercover officer was not injured, but taken to the hospital for evaluation.The officer will be placed on administrativre leave with pay during the investigation, according to Fayetteville police.

Patterson is charged three counts trafficking cocaine, two counts possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, and one count of carrying a concealed weapon. He is being held on a $125,000 secured bond.

The State Bureau of Investgation is conducting its own investigation.

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