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WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — A judge ruled Friday in Haywood County Superior Court that prosecutors could seek the death penalty against the man charged with the shooting death of a Highway Patrol trooper June 17.
Trooper David Shawn Blanton Jr., 24, was killed June 17 during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near Canton.
Edwardo Wong III, 37, of Ormond Beach, Fla.. Wong is charged with first-degree murder, among other charges.
Wong also is charged with attempted first-degree murder of Haywood County Sheriff's detective Bruce Warren. He also faces three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, possession with the intent to sell marijuana and possession with the intent to sell the psychedelic drug ecstasy.
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