from
https://news.yahoo.com/trooper-stops-help-stranded-driver-104136353.html

Trooper stops to help stranded driver — and gets shot in the chest, NC
cops say

Mark Price
Tue, July 4, 2023 at 3:41 AM PDT·1 min read
A state trooper stopped to help a stranded motorist on Interstate 26 in
western North Carolina, and the driver responded by pulling a gun and
shooting the trooper, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.

The trooper survived and returned fire, killing the driver, the
department said in a news release.

It happened at 7:35 p.m. Monday, July 3, outside Asheville, near the NC
191 exit for the Blue Ridge Parkway, officials said. The area is about
130 miles northwest of Charlotte.

Investigators say Trooper Jeffrey L. Dunlap spotted “a stranded motorist
on I-26 westbound near the 33-mile marker” and pulled over to help.

“The motorist produced a firearm and fired, striking (him) in the
chest,” officials said.

“A round was stopped by the member’s ballistic vest and he was able to
return fire, striking the suspect. The suspect was pronounced deceased
at the scene.”

The driver was identified as Wesley Scott Taylor, 57, of Leicester,
N.C., officials said.

Dunlap was taken to a hospital “and has since been released,” officials
said. He is a 13-year member of the department and is assigned to
Buncombe County, officials said.

“In accordance with agency protocol in any trooper-involved shooting,
the involved member will be placed on administrative duty,” the
department said.

“The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is conducting an
independent investigation of the incident. Any further inquiries into
this incident should be directed to the SBI due to their separate
ongoing investigation.”

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