A police officer and an armed suspect were shot Sunday at a bar, the Hickory Police Department said in a news release.
Around 2 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to multiple gunshots coming from the area of the Gateway Pub & Grill. The bar is on Highway 70 Southwest in Hickory.
At the scene, officers found an armed suspect and attempted to take him into custody. As they tried to detain him, a second armed suspect began shooting at officers, police said.
A police officer was shot twice. An auxiliary officer returned fire, striking one of the armed suspects, police said. They did not specify which of the suspects was shot.
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The officer who was shot was taken to a local hospital. They are expected to recover from their injuries, the Hickory Police Department said.
The suspect who was shot was flown to a Charlotte hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Channel 9’s Dave Faherty was there Sunday morning and saw officers investigating in the parking lot. Dozens of evidence markers were laid out.
Patrons told Faherty that dozens of people were at the bar near closing time when someone started shooting a gun in the parking lot.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting and the officer who shot the suspect has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome.
Hickory police are investigating the initial shooting at the bar.
Veteran crime reporter Glenn Counts was able to speak with the suspect’s mother, who told us over the phone that she believes police got the wrong man.
“It’s not true, it’s not true, nothing from my son, I don’t know who would have returned fire, but I can say not from my son, the crowd was very adamant, the crowd was shouting at the police officers that they shot the wrong person “, she said.
The suspect’s mother did not want to release her name.
Counts contacted the Hickory police chief, who disagreed with the mother’s claims and said the suspect was armed with a .45-caliber handgun.
The chief also said that they are still investigating the cause of the incident that generated so many shots.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Hickory Police Department at 828-261-2600.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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