2 charged after Raleigh police officer shot in neck; officer in hospital

The men were arrested and charged shortly after the shooting.

Cedric Jamal Kearney, 24, of 541 Rowland St. in Henderson, was charged with attempted murder, assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering and felony larceny.

Antonio Dequan Fletcher, 21, of 501-E N. Benson Court in Cary, was charged with possession of a stolen firearm.

Kearney was being held in the Wake County jail under a $2.5 million bond, while Fletcher was being held under a $10,000 bond.

Arrest warrants identified the wounded officer as Charles Ainsworth. He was out of surgery early Thursday, but his condition was not known.

Ainsworth graduated from Raleigh's police academy in December 2017. He is an alumnus of North Carolina State University, where he majored in psychology. He grew up in Jacksonville.

Authorities said Ainsworth attempted to apprehend someone on Western Boulevard near Schaub Drive around 8:25 p.m. following a report of a suspicious vehicle believed to have been involved in a carjacking.

Ainsworth was immediately shot multiple times, including once in the neck, after exiting his patrol car, authorities said.

A Wake County magistrate said that Kearney is suspected of shooting Ainsworth with a .45-caliber handgun, while Fletcher is suspected of being in the car with Kearney.

Warrants show that, before the shooting, Kearney stole a man's phone, car and wallet – together worth $16,000 – and threatened the man with a gun.

Sherry Richmond, 22, of 205 Garden Path St. in Rougemont, was also charged in connection with the robbery. She was not charged in connection with the shooting.

Fletcher's charge of possession of a stolen firearm, a .32-caliber pistol, is unrelated to the robbery that Kearney's and Richmond's charges are connected to.

Kearney and Fletcher do not have a criminal history.

Kearney was detained at a home on Wendy Lane around 12:30 a.m. after the homeowner called police, authorities said.

The homeowner said Kearney got locked inside his carport storage closet, which can be unlocked only from the outside because of a latch.

The homeowner heard Kearney trying to use tools inside the closet to get out, which is when he called police.

Fletcher was detained on Teakwood Place.

On Thursday morning, a Jeep on the street had a window that was shot out and had two bullet holes on the front hood.

John Pyburn, who lives on Teakwood Place, said he didn't witness the shooting but saw the aftermath as officers rushed to the scene.

He said he had just arrived home when he saw two police cars near his home speed away.

"I had just enough time to get out of my car, grab my pizza and coffee from work, and two dozen more cars came by," Pyburn said.

He said he saw K9 units, SWAT teams, agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and helicopters in the area Wednesday night.

Authorities shut down multiple roads in the area, including Interstate 440 near Western Boulevard, during their search for the suspects.

"They have it locked down really, really tight right now," Pyburn said at the time. "I'm a little nerve-racked, but [I feel] safe at the same time because the entire police force in Raleigh is here, just about."

Dave Bennett lives next to the house on Wendy Lane where Kearney was caught. He said he saw many police cars and heard flash-bangs while he and friends were watching sports.

Police moved them and other neighbors from nearby homes during the incident.

"Everyone seemed pretty calm, but seeing a bunch of officers with guns toward your house definitely gives you some alarms and some red flags that something big is going on," he said.

“There were SWAT officers coming down with guns, and the street was becoming more and more crowded," he added. "As it seemed like they were narrowing in on this area, helicopters started to show up. We are going from window to window trying to figure out what’s going on. Eventually, we get a knock on the door that says, 'We need you to leave.'”

He said he's thankful the neighborhood is safe.

"I'm definitely relieved, but I can't help but to think about the police officer that was injured," he said.

Raleigh police asked community members to continue to support Ainsworth.

"The Raleigh Police Department is grateful for all of the support from the various law enforcement agencies, the surgeons and medical staff, and the community," the department said in a statement. "We ask that everyone continue to pray for the officer and his family."

After being shot, Ainsworth was placed in a patrol car, and another officer began driving to WakeMed. Along the route, Ainsworth was transferred to an ambulance, which traveled the rest of the way to the hospital.

Following Ainsworth's arrival, WakeMed was placed on "red diversion," so all non-trauma patients were diverted to other hospitals for treatment. It was lifted at 9:45 p.m.

Dozens of officers and several patrol cars surrounded WakeMed on Wednesday night. Traffic on New Bern Avenue, where the hospital is located, was not affected, but cars coming to the hospital were being monitored by officers.

Numerous law enforcement agencies sent support to Raleigh police online.