N.C. Police Officer Shot in Head; Undergoes Surgery

A North Carolina police officer was shot and wounded in the head during a parking lot gunfight that left a suspect dead early Sunday.

The incident happened shortly after 12:30 a.m. as a King police officer tried to make a traffic stop, WXII-TV reports. Instead of pulling over, the vehicle drove into the back parking lot of the Dogwood Event Center.

Once in the parking lot, a person exited the car and fled on foot. The officer pursued the individual, but another person inside the vehicle opened fire.

"By that time, the backup officer was there, and both officers engaged that suspect and eventually eliminated that threat," said Police Chief Jordan Boyette.

The wounded officer, who also serves as a part-time Stokes County sheriff's deputy, was taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery, according to WFMY-TV. He suffered a fractured skull in the incident.

The 19-year-old shooter was fatally shot in the exchange. No details were released concerning the other suspect.

"Stokes County’s first responders had one of the most challenging days yesterday we have had in a long time involving multiple responses throughout the county," Sheriff Joey Lemons wrote in a social media post about the shooting. " As your Sheriff, last night I got the call no Sheriff wants to get about an officer being shot in the line of duty."