A North Carolina police officer was shot during a traffic stop in Winston-Salem after getting into an altercation with a suspect early Monday morning, authorities say.
The incident occurred a little before 2 a.m. as Officer Nicholas Wayne Powell was conducting routine traffic enforcement along Highway 421 South, reported CBS's North Carolina affiliate WRAL-TV. During the traffic enforcement, Powell stopped a white Nissan Sentra for speeding and ordered all three men inside the vehicle to step outside.
Police Chief Barry Rountree also reported that Powell smelled marijuana and had requested backup while he and his partner, Adam Gardner, prepared to search the vehicle for any drugs.
After stepping outside, one of the suspects, identified as 26-year-old Gary Lynn, ran back inside the vehicle in an attempt to drive off, reported the Winston-Salem Journal. Lynn managed to get into the vehicle and drive off, but not before Powell reached the driver's side of the vehicle sparking a physical confrontation between the two.
Powell was still either in or holding onto the car as the two struggled. During that time Lynn pulled out a handgun and shot Powell multiple times in an undisclosed location while also shooting himself in the process.
This scene lasted for a quarter of a mile until the car stopped and other officers arrived to stabilize the situation, according to NBC's North Carolina affiliate WXII-TV. Afterwards, Powell and Lynn were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center to be treated for non life-threatening injuries.
Traffic in the eastbound lanes of Business 40 near the scene was routed to Highway 52 South as police investigated.