Investigation begins after officer, suspect injured in Raleigh shooting

A police officer and a suspect were injured in a shooting Wednesday afternoon at an apartment complex near Lake Johnson in southwest Raleigh.

Posted 8:11 p.m. Nov 30, 2016 — Updated 12:47 p.m. Dec 1, 2016

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Raleigh police were continuing to gather details early Thursday after a police officer and suspect were injured in a shooting at a condominium complex near Lake Johnson in Raleigh.

The shooting happened at about 2:40 p.m. Wednesday as officers with the Raleigh Police Department responded to a residential break-in call at 1230 University Court, at the Lake Park Condominiums, a complex near the intersection of Avent Ferry and Lake Dam roads.

Numerous officers, some with long guns drawn, responded to the scene that had some neighbors puzzled and concerned.

"I was sitting at the window right here and I heard five or six shots, real fast," said resident John McIver.

An officer and a suspect sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to WakeMed. Sky 5 flew over Interstate 40 as the ambulance carrying the injured officer weaved through traffic to reach the trauma center.

The officer was being treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries while the suspect was listed in critical but stable condition Wednesday night, police said. Authorities have not released their names.

Phillip Palmer, who lives in a nearby apartment, said he heard gunshots followed by screaming.

"I can't say how many shots. It was rapid fire," he said. "We came outside, we heard loud voices. Clearly something was going on. Eventually, we did hear a group of people trying to get someone to wake up."

Palmer said he did not see who was shot, but that police officers quickly arrived to the scene.

"We saw someone who I thought might be an officer running between buildings trying to get control of the situation. He was kind of frantic," Palmer said.

Rahem Bryant moved to the apartment complex less than a month ago and said the scene he came home to Wednesday afternoon is not the neighborhood he has come to know over the past three weeks.

"I just got home and a whole bunch of police tape out here and everything," he said. "[The neighborhood] is peaceful. I don't really see any trouble out of no one; never loud, no loud music or anything. It's surprising. "

Bryant said, despite the incident, he isn't afraid to keep living in the area.

"I feel like it's still going to be a safe place, just something happened," he said.

The ongoing SBI investigation, which began shortly after the incident, is standard procedure when a police officer is involved in a shooting.

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