Traffic stops aren’t routine.
Via WBTV:
Prosecutors have identified the man accused of fatally shooting a North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper during a traffic stop in Columbus County early Wednesday morning.
According to officials, Raheem Davis, 20, of Chadbourn has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Trooper Kevin Conner.
First Sgt. Michael Baker with the State Highway Patrol said Conner was shot at approximately 12:15 a.m. while conducting a traffic stop for a speeding violation on U.S. 701 near Sellers Town Road in Columbus County. As Conner approached the vehicle, the suspect fired several shots, striking the trooper.
Conner died after being taken to a local hospital.
“At that time, the driver fled the scene and drove into Fair Bluff,” Baker said in a media briefing. “The Fair Bluff Police Department attempted to stop the vehicle and a chase ensured. The driver of that white GMC became disabled on the railroad tracks in Fair Bluff off of Rogers St. A foot pursuit ensued and he was apprehended by authorities after an extensive search.”
Davis made his first appearance in a Columbus County courtroom Wednesday afternoon, flanked by nine officers, some wearing bulletproof vests.
During the appearance, Davis was very brief while answering questions from the judge, limiting his answers to “yes” and “yes, sir.”
The judge ordered that Davis be held under no bond. He faces the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison without parole.[…]
According to online records, Davis was out on probation after serving about three months in prison after he was convicted last year of firing gunshots into a couple’s SUV as they were driving through Chadbourn on their way to Myrtle Beach, SC in 2015.
Conner was an 11-year veteran of the N.C. State Highway Patrol and was assigned to Troop B out of Columbus County.