Feb. 19--DURHAM -- Police have arrested several people in the Monday evening shooting of a State Highway Patrol trooper during a routine traffic stop near the intersection of U.S. 70 and Cheek Road.
Authorities would not disclose details of the arrests, but Durham police confirmed they had taken place.
At the same time, the State Highway Patrol identified the shot trooper as Michael Potts, an 11-year veteran assigned to Durham County, and said he was in fair condition at Duke University Hospital.
It was not immediately clear how many people had been apprehended or what charges might be filed against them.
Earlier Tuesday, an online posting by the N.C. Troopers Association identified Potts and asked, "Please keep Trooper Mike Potts from Durham County in your prayers."
It added, "Mike is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery."
Potts, 42, was hit in the hand, shoulder and face when at least one shot was fired after he had made the traffic stop, officials said, the association and other accounts said.
First Sgt. Jeff Gordon, a Highway Patrol spokesman, said Monday that the trooper was shot as he approached the car, but would not confirm how many times the trooper was shot or if he fired back.
Tuesday, police throughout the area had been looking for a man, believed to be in his 20s with close-cropped, light hair.
"We ask that everyone please keep Trooper Potts and his family in your thoughts and prayers," said Department of Public Safety Secretary Kieran J. Shanahan. "We truly appreciate the strong and swift response we have received from our law enforcement partners assisting at the scene of the shooting and quickly jumping into action to try and apprehend the shooter."
The suspect's vehicle, a "newer model" Nissan Altima with a temporary, 30-day registration tag like the ones issued by car dealers, left the shooting scene, traveling west on U.S. 70.
A few hours later, police and troopers found a car, thought to be the one driven by the suspect, in the rear parking lot of a restaurant at North Roxboro and St. Paul streets. Officials were reviewing the restaurant's security cameras late Monday in an attempt to identify the driver and determine where he might have gone after abandoning the vehicle.
The Durham Police Department was handling the shooting with the assistance of the State Highway Patrol and the State Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Durham County Sheriff's Office, the state Department of Public Safety said.
Copyright 2013 - The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
