Hospital police officer shot and killed in North Carolina emergency department struggle

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GARNER, N.C. (AP) — 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, killing WakeMed Campus Police Officer Roger Smith, according to a WakeMed statement.

A “person of interest” in the shooting was in custody, said a Garner Police Department 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 health care system, including the Garner hospital.

The officers are sworn law enforcement who receive all the police training required under state law.