Fugitive rape suspect dies after being shot by Fayetteville officer during arrest attempt

The shooting occurred shortly after 4 p.m. in the 7400 block of Old Raeford Road, near the boat ramp at Lake Rim.

Glenn Alvin Eldridge, 48, of Maynardville, Tenn., died Friday morning. Arrest warrants show he was wanted on two rape charges in Union County, Tenn., which is north of Knoxville, in connection with June incidents.

Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins said the officer, whose name hasn't been released, was part of a Fayetteville Police Department United States Marshals Task Force and was with officer officers and federal marshals.

Eldridge had several weapons with him, but no officers or marshals were wounded, Hawkins said. She didn't specify the number or type of weapons or whether he had any in his hands when he was shot.

"It is dangerous to serve a warrant, period," Hawkins said during a news conference. "But it's even more dangerous when it involves someone where we hand the warrant off to U.S. marshals because that typically indicates there is some type of high-risk threat. ... So it's definitely dangerous."

WRAL News found an address for Eldridge near Asheville but no relatives in the Fayetteville area, so it's unclear how he wound up in Cumberland County.

The State Bureau of Investigation was called in to review the incident, and Hawkins said her department would conduct its own internal investigation as well.

The unidentified officer has been put on leave pending the outcome of the investigations, which is standard procedure.

The SBI also is trying to determine if anyone who may have helped Eldridge elude authorities should be charged.