Kearney is charged with tying up and raping a woman at a Raleigh apartment complex Tuesday. He is also charged with kidnapping, assaulting and threatening his ex-fiance in Rocky Mount later that day.
Shortly before midnight, authorties caught up with Kearney in Wake Forest. Authorities said Kearney was shot in the head, but still drove 175 yards and crashed into a telephone pole.
Kearney used to be a bouncer at several nightclubs in Raleigh. He is also an avid pool player. People who know him said they have no explanation for what happened Tuesday.
"It's totally out of his character. I didn't believe it. I didn't believe it at all," said Asaju Ogunmakinwa, Kearney's friend.
Kearney, who is known as "Bear" to his friends, worked at Murray's Tire, in Raleigh for more than a decade.
"A teddy bear. A big teddy bear," said Gary Murray, Kearney's boss. "The whole family -- we've all been shocked by it. All the friends and co-workers -- we're definitely in shock about it."
The Johnston County Sheriff's Office told WRAL Kearney is also a suspect in a fire at his former girlfriend's home in Middlesex. It is the same woman he is accused of assaulting in Rocky Mount. Some of Kearney's friends said his recent break-up with the woman may have contributed to Tuesday's events.
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