North Carolina hospital police officer killed, suspect charged after ER gunfire

GARNER, N.C. (WNCN) — A hospital police officer in Wake County, North Carolina, killed Saturday morning has been hailed as a “hero,” with officials saying he likely prevented other deaths during a struggle with an alleged gunman.

At around 9 a.m. Saturday, law enforcement says Officer Roger Smith, 59, was shot in the emergency department lobby of WakeMed Garner Healthplex in Garner, North Carolina. Smith died from his injuries at WakeMed Raleigh, about 10 miles away, the healthcare provider said in a statement.

Benji Martin Jr., 29, of Garner, has since been charged with murder in Smith’s death.

While details are limited, authorities said a struggle broke out just before Smith was shot in the lobby.

“Medical personnel at the scene described Officer Smith as a hero whose actions likely prevented further loss of life. His courage and selfless service exemplified the highest ideals of law enforcement,” a Garner Police Department news release said.

Smith had 14 years of service with WakeMed Campus Police and previously served with Knightdale Police Department from 1997 to 2003, according to WakeMed and Knightdale police. He was from Knightdale and went to Wake Tech.

Nexstar’s WNCN was at the scene where 20 to 30 officers secured the scene and searched Saturday afternoon for any evidence linked to the shooting.

A procession honoring Smith shut down Interstate I-440 West as officers escorted Smith’s body to the examiner’s office.

“This is a heartbreaking and senseless act of violence,” Garner Police Chief Adams said in the news release. “Officer Smith dedicated his career to protecting others, and even in his final moments, he put the safety of others before his own

A spokesperson with the Garner Police Department told WNCN Saturday morning that the shooter was in custody and there was no longer an active threat at the hospital.

‘Shock’ and ‘sadness’ from friends

Steven Moore was a childhood friend of Roger Smith, the two graduating together from Garner Senior High School. The school is now known as Garner Magnet High School.

“It’s just been the whole gamut of shock and disbelief, sadness. Just to think something like that happened in our backyard. You just never think about it,” Moore said.

Friends and support organizations said they were heartbroken over the loss.

“It was just a gut punch, like it always is. You always hope and pray that the officer who is injured in the line of duty is going to pull through, and unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen,” said Lindsay LiCausi, founder of Back the Blue NC.

WNCN is working to learn what led up to the struggle between Smith and Martin, while Back the Blue, a non-profit dedicated to helping law enforcement families, is gathering support for Smith’s family.

The group has created a GoFundMe to assist Smith’s family.

“I found out that he was taking care of his elderly mother, and so now my concern is who is going to take care of her and who is going to help step up and support his family now that he is gone,” LiCausi said.

Moore described Smith as the perfect example of what a law enforcement officer should be.

“To me, when I knew him was the epitome of law enforcement. He was compassionate, caring; he wasn’t out here to make a name for himself. He just wanted to do a job and keep the community safe,” Moore said.

Witnesses react after deadly officer shooting at WakeMed Garner

A woman told WNCN off-camera that her father was in the hospital when the shooting happened.

“I’m really concerned for him because we came in last night and he was having a stroke,” said Remona Simmons. After being redirected from another WakeMed facility in Raleigh, her father stayed overnight at the Garner Healthplex.

“They said this morning that they would transfer him out,” said Simmons. “So we left this morning, went home, got a shower, and came back to this.”

She is concerned with how long the investigation would take, as well as his comfort and safety. The nurses are communicating with her, including the second she could go see him.

“I’m sure he feels by himself,” she said, “and I wish that I could just get in there just to hold him and make sure he’s OK.”

Meanwhile, across the street from the hospital is a local farmers’ market that takes place every other Saturday at Agri Supply on U.S. 70. Some vendors were surprised by the heavy police presence prior to getting the news of the shooting.

“All of a sudden, they just come from everywhere,” said a vendor at the farmer’s market. “I said ‘Something must be going on!'”

When WNCN’s Mary Smith told him what happened, he had a somber response. “It’s sad, but that’s the world we live in now,” he said. “I wish people would grow up and quit being so mean all the time.”

None of the vendors WNCN spoke to heard gunshots, but several noted an immense response from emergency responders.

“We figured it was an accident, but then out of nowhere suddenly fire trucks, ambulances, maybe 19 cop vehicles at one point, and a little while later, one ambulance pulled out with 5 other cop cars behind it,” said vendor Emmalee Northern. “We didn’t hear anything else until we started checking the news.”

“I’m glad they caught the suspect,” said Northern, “and hopefully there can be more precautions put on to protect people.”

WakeMed Health and Hospitals released a statement about the matter:

We give an enormous amount of gratitude to the Garner Healthplex Emergency Department staff for their heroic and quick response to this incident. WakeMed leadership is on-site and working with the State Bureau of Investigation and the Garner Police Department as is standard with police-related shootings. The Garner Healthplex Emergency Department lobby remains inaccessible at this time.

The WakeMed family is coming together to respond to and process this tragic event. Additional staff and counselors are on-site to support our Garner ED and Campus Police teams.

The investigation remains ongoing. The name of the suspect or any charges have not been released by investigators at this time.