'He's not a villain,' father says of man accused of shooting Raleigh officer

Ainsworth was checking on a report that a car stolen last week by an armed man had been spotted in southwest Raleigh when he was shot several times, including in the neck. Officer B.A. Halpin was also shot at during the incident but wasn't hurt.

Halpin returned fire but didn't hit anyone, police said.

Wounded Raleigh officer, family face long road back

"He's not a villain, I can tell you that. I just think he hooked up with the wrong group, that's all," Kearney's father, Timothy McQueen, said from his home in Maryland.

McQueen said he was stunned to hear about the charges against his son, saying they don't reflect the man he raised.

"I don’t know who that child is right now. It ain’t the child that I raised," he said. "I’m more hurt for the officer and his family because I know my child ain’t like that."

Kearney grew up in Maryland and went to a military academy for high school, McQueen said, adding that he raised him to be respectful and disciplined.

"I feel like I failed him, but my pastor told me I didn’t," he said. "He said, 'You did your job, you know. You raised him to the man he was. He made his own decisions.'"

McQueen said his son moved to North Carolina about five years ago – residents in Henderson say he lives off and on with his mother there – and, within the last few years, Kearney had cut his father out of his life.

Bridget Kearney likewise said the shooting is completely out of character for her son.

"I’m just, right now, torn apart that my son would even make any kind of bad decision," she said. "I know my child – his demeanor, his character – just him as a person to do something like this, I just couldn’t even believe that this was even my child."

Cedric Kearney worked for a time for a roofing company in Raleigh, his mother said. But his Facebook page, which includes photos show him displaying guns and making obscene gestures, doesn't show any employment information.

"My son is not a criminal. I know he’s not. Whatever bad choice he made, I truly believe he was influenced," Bridget Kearney said. "But it should’ve never happened – never, by anyone, not just my son, anyone.

"I don’t condone anything of violence or any criminal act," she added. "I just want to say I’m sending out my condolences to all the families that are hurting behind this. Even though I know I’m hurting because this is my child, I have to face the facts."

Kearney's sister, Alena Williams, said there are no words to adequately express the family's sorrow to the Ainsworth family.

"I really, deeply apologize to everyone this has touched," she said. "I only can ask that you all please forgive him because we're not going to forget about this, ever."

"We all have good hearts. Cedric was raised with good values to have love and to have a spirit, so I have no understanding of even an explanation to anybody about why this happened," she added.

McQueen said he plans to be in Raleigh for Cedric Kearney's next court date, which is currently set for Jan. 31, which would be the first time they've seen each other in three years.

"I guess, you know, as life goes on, if he makes it through that life, he's got to deal with his consequences," McQueen said. "[The] only person that can help him now is God. That's it. Can't nobody help him but God."

Cedric Kearney, who remains in the Wake County jail under a $2.66 million bond, also is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering and felony larceny.

The breaking and entering and larceny charges are connected to a break-in at a Holly Springs home on Wednesday in which six guns were stolen, according to an arrest warrant.

The robbery charge stems from an alleged carjacking at an apartment complex off Western Boulevard last week – the case Ainsworth was following up on when he was shot.

Police say Antonio Dequan Fletcher, 21, of 501-E N. Benson Court in Cary, was with Cedric Kearney at the time of the shooting. He was arrested shortly after that on a charge of possession of a stolen firearm. He remains in the Wake County jail under a $50,000 bond, and prosecutors said he could face more charges.

Suspect in Raleigh officer's shooting locked himself in toolshed

Cedric Kearney was apprehended about a half-mile from the scene of the shooting about four hours later after he accidentally locked himself inside a storage shed. The homeowner saw someone trying to get out of the shed and called police.

"I'm confident that Mr. Kearney will have a fair result and fair trial if it comes to all that," said Wake County Chief Public Defender Charles Caldwell, who is representing Kearney. "Wake County has very reasonable people, very understanding people. Obviously, everyone is upset when a circumstance like this comes up."