CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — A Caldwell County man was arrested after he was shot by police during a traffic stop when he pulled out a gun early Wednesday morning, authorities announced.
According to the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office, deputies pulled over a 2003 Ford truck at the intersection of Deerbrook Road and Rocky Road in Lenoir a little before 2 a.m. Deputies stopped the driver due to suspicious activity. During the stop, the driver of the truck sped away from police and initiated a chase onto Husband's Creek Road.
When the driver of the truck stopped, deputies got out to take him into the custody. Police allege that's when the suspect, 27-year-old Jordon Tomas Cornell, pulled out a handgun. Perceiving a threat, deputies fired their service weapons, shooting Cornell twice. He was taken to Caldwell Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Once he was released from the hospital, Cornell was served with two outstanding warrants for his arrest for probation violation related to an assault with a deadly weapon from December of 2019. He was also served a warrant for assault with a deadly weapon on a government official.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was called to lead the investigation of the shooting. The SBI recovered a handgun at the scene and bodycam footage has been turned over to state investigators.
Cornell is being held under a $50,000 bond. He's scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, March 3.
