Newton Grove police chief shoots man after report of woman being kidnapped and raped

The shooting happened near Sam's Circle Mart on Clinton Street around 2:40 p.m.

A law enforcement source told WRAL News that Newton Grove Police Chief Greg Warren shot someone.

Sampson County deputies said Warren responded to a report of a woman who had been kidnapped and raped.

It was originally reported that the assailant was holding the woman against her will and was armed, according to deputies.

"I heard like, two [gunshots] and I heard a faint gunshot, then another one," described witness Andrik Comejo Cornejo. "Then, I saw them just laying there [and] police calling EMS."

The Sampson County Sheriff's Office is investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting, while the state Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting itself, which is standard. Deputies said the man who was shot was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but his condition wasn't known.

"We come here all the time [and] shop at these shopping centers. These stores, never know what's going to happen," said Shelton Horne, who lives near where the shooting happened.

"It's very tragic," said Sampson County Lieutenant Marcus Smith. "We just ask for prayers for the officer and all those involved."

Clinton Street was blocked in both directions as authorities investigated. The store borders the traffic circle in town, where several highways intersect.

"It's pretty bad to see this little town filled up with a bunch of officers," said Horne.