Off-duty sergeant fatally shot at North Carolina gas station while trying to intervene during a crime, police say

An off-duty police sergeant was fatally shot Saturday afternoon at a gas station just outside Greensboro, North Carolina, authorities said.

The shooting occurred at about 4 p.m. Eastern time at a Sheetz gas station in the community of Colfax, according to Greensboro police.

The sergeant was shot after he “witnessed a crime occur” and attempted “to approach the suspects,” Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson said in a news briefing late Saturday.

A second off-duty police officer and an off-duty paramedic who were at the scene provided treatment to the officer until he was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he died of his wounds, Thompson disclosed.

The victim’s name was not immediately released, and no further details on the incident were provided. Thompson said the sergeant was a 22-veteran of the department.

“He was a loving husband, father, son and brother,” Thompson told reporters.

In an earlier alert, police said they were searching for two suspects in their mid-20s in connection with the shooting who were believed to be driving a Chevrolet Equinox, but Thompson did not confirm if any arrests had been made. 

Several agencies were assisting in the investigation, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, Thompson said.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper wrote in a social media post that he had spoken to Thompson and offered “all available state resources to catch those who killed a Greensboro police officer. Our prayers are with the Greensboro police and family and loved ones. Every effort must be made to apprehend those responsible and bring justice in this tragic situation.”