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Roanoke Rapids officer shot in line of duty returns to work

A Roanoke Rapids police officer who was shot during a traffic stop Nov. 17 has returned to work, a spokesman for the force said Thursday.

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ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — A Roanoke Rapids police officer who was shot during a traffic stop Nov. 17 has returned to work, a spokesman for the force said Thursday.

Officer John Taylor was shot five times after he stopped a stolen car on Interstate 95, Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Jeff Hinton said. One of the shots hit the officer's bulletproof vest, he said, and Taylor had wounds to neck, abdomen and wrist.

After undergoing several surgeries at Pitt Memorial Hospital in Greenville, Taylor was released from the hospital on Thanksgiving Day and recuperated at home through the holidays.

"He is very focused on his recovery and wishes to return to the job he so dearly loves as soon as he can," Taylor's wife, Kristen Taylor, said on Dec. 1.

Taylor was assigned to light duty and is doing mostly desk work, police said.

Investigators say Michael Eugene Edgerton, 38, shot Taylor. Edgerton was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Nov. 18 after an intense manhunt.

Renee Michelle Phillips, 43, of Southampton, Pa., was arrested a short time later. She has been charged with accessory after the fact of attempted murder, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Pennsylvania authorities also have issued a fugitive warrant for Phillips. She and Edgerton were wanted in Pennsylvania on vehicle theft and parole violation charges when Taylor stopped their car. 

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