North Carolina hospital police officer shot and killed in ER lobby struggle
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- Hospital campus Police Officer Roger Smith, 59, was shot and killed Saturday during a struggle in the emergency department lobby in Garner, N.C.
- A 29-year-old suspect, Benji Martin Jr., was arrested and charged with murder. Medical personnel credited the officer’s actions with saving lives.
- The hospital’s emergency department lobby remains closed as state investigators work with local police to determine details about the incident.
GARNER, N.C. — A police officer was shot and killed during a struggle in the emergency department lobby at a North Carolina hospital Saturday.
The shooting happened around 9 a.m. at the WakeMed Garner Healthplex near Raleigh, killing hospital campus Police Officer Roger Smith, according to a WakeMed statement.
A person of interest was in custody, the Garner Police Department said in a statement.
The emergency department lobby was closed, and hospital officials were working with local police and state investigators. Further details about what happened weren’t immediately released.
“Law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe, and we are forever grateful for Officer Smith’s sacrifice,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said in a statement on X.
Garner is a city of about 31,000 people just south of Raleigh in central North Carolina. The WakeMed Police Department patrols six facilities in the healthcare system, including the Garner hospital.
The officers are sworn law enforcement who receive all the police training required under state law.
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