The two suspects, 17-year-old Kevin Salvador Golphin and 19-year-oldTilmon Charles Golphin, were captured about 21 miles north of the shootingscene, Sheriff Moose Butler said. They were captured in Harnett Countyafter they abandoned a car they allegedly stole from South Carolina.
``I was not there but they captured them in Harnett County.They jumped out of the vehicle and ran. When they ran, officers from theHighway Patrol and the FBI were able to capture one and thencapture the other,'' he said.
The shooting happened at the N.C. 24 exit, near mile marker 52.Police say the Trooper Lowry, 47, who went by the name Ed, wasconducting a routine traffic stop when he discovered the car he waspursuing was stolen from South Carolina. He called for backup, and theresponse came from Deputy Hathcock, 57, who was in the area. The deputy'sduties usually consisted of serving civil papers.
After shooting Lowry and Hathcock with an automatic weapon, thesuspects drove north on I-95 in a Toyota Camry.They took with them a weapon from one of the two slain officers, Butlersaid.
The suspects also shot at people in a car who saw them. Gunfire waseventually exchanged between police and the suspects in front of manywitnesses. Neither of the suspects was injured.
The high speed chase covered about 21 miles and came to an end nearmile marker 71, where witness Jerry Purcell said the suspects tried totake an exit. He says the car spun out of control and the suspects got outand ran.
Trucker Terry Hyatt was parked in a Hardee's lot nearby. He says he sawthe suspects running toward him, carrying large handguns. He lockedhimself in his truck and watched the two men try to get into a truckparked next to him.
Traffic on I-95 was closed as authorities investigated the killings.
Butler said at least one AK-47 and one of the officers' handguns wererecovered from the suspects' car.
Harnett County Sheriff Larry Knott talked to WRAL-TV5'sBret Baier at the scene of the capture.He said the suspects were quickly captured.
"It's a sad day that we're living in a society that's soviolent that an officer can just do a routine job, a routine stopthat he shouldn't feel threatened doing and then winds up killed,"Butler said.
Captain L.S. Goodson of the Highway Patrol expressed his frustrationover the situation. He says it's sad day when two fineofficers lose their lives to "thugs."
Trooper Lowry joined the NC Highway Patrol in 1975. Lowry andHathcock both leave behind wives and children.
The two slayings Tuesday bring to four the number of area lawenforcement officers killed in the line of duty. In July, Raleigh policeofficer Paul Hale was shot to death as he approached a murder suspect. Afew days later, Sharpsburg Police Chief Wayne Hathaway was shot and killedafter responding to a domestic call. The trooper killed in Tuesday'sincident is the first highway patrolman to be shot to death in the line ofduty in 12 years.
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