A Caldwell County Deputy was shot late Sunday night during a routine traffic stop, officials report.
The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Cheraw Road near the intersection with Pisgah Church Road, deputies report.
Deputies said the suspect vehicle was a blue Toyota sedan. Deputies have released the following photos of the suspect's car hoping someone will recognize it.
The deputy, 21-year-old Jordan Sherrill, was wearing a protective vest at the time but was hit below the vest. He was flown by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte where he underwent treatment. Officials tell NBC Charlotte Deputy Sherill came out of surgery and was in stable condition.
Gather and Vivien King's house overlooked the road where the deputy was shot, and they said they heard the deputy activate his siren to pull over a car.
"Just seconds of me hearing the siren, I stepped outside," King said. "Two steps into it, I heard the gunshot."
His wife described hearing the sound of a car speeding off.
"When I come out here and looked, I noticed the cop's lights didn't move so I knew he was hurt," King said.
He said he ran over to the deputy and began helping him using what he learned when he volunteered with Lenoir Rescue.
"He was holding his belly and everything, and he was standing up pacing behind the car," King said. "I run to him. I helped him sit down on the pavement. I had him lie back, and I compressed both of his wounds."
He said the gunshot entered below the deputy's vest and exited through the back.
The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office along with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and other area law enforcement agencies are gathering available information to determine a motive and suspect in the shooting.