Dec. 19--A Hickory police officer shot and seriously injured a suspect after a chase through residential neighborhoods late Saturday, according to the department.
The suspect, Irecas Ballentine, 36, was flown by helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. He was in critical condition late Sunday, according to a nursing supervisor.
The incident lasted just a few minutes, said Sgt. Robert George.
Police said Officer Bruce Bumgarner tried to stop a 1996 Ford Explorer at N.C. 70 S.W. and Fourth Street S.W. It was not clear why the officer was trying to stop the SUV, but the Explorer, driven by Ballantine, sped away, according to Hickory police.
Bumgarner gave chase in his police cruiser. The pursuit wound through a residential neighborhood in the southwest part of the city. At one point, the driver of the Explorer took the vehicle through a grass field to evade the officer, police said.
On 11th Street S.W., the driver lost control of the SUV, and it flipped. After that, George said, Ballantine ran from the vehicle. Bumgarner started chasing him on foot.
"After running a short distance behind a residence, Ballantine stopped and faced the officer," George said, noting that Ballentine had his hands in his pockets. "He refused to remove his hands from his pockets ... and came toward Officer Bumgarner in a threatening manner."
That's when Bumgarner fired, police said. It was unclear how many times Bumgarner shot his service pistol or whether officers ultimately determined whether the suspect was carrying a weapon.
George said he was only authorized to read information from a press release prepared by members of the Hickory Police Department command staff early Sunday. He said he couldn't release information about Bumgarner's employment history. Bumgarner was placed on administrative leave.
Bumgarner's publicly available profile on the social networking website LinkedIn says he's worked with the Hickory Police Department since 2003 with a stint as a highway patrolman from October 2008 to September 2009. The profile lists Bumgarner's skills as law enforcement instructor, investigator and tactical officer.
The investigation into the shooting has been turned over to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, which is standard procedure when an officer is involved in a shooting.
Cleve R. Wootson Jr.: 704-358-5046
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