BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — A North Carolina state trooper was shot while helping a driver on the side of Interstate 26 in western North Carolina Monday night, Highway Patrol said.
Trooper Jeffery Dunlap stopped to help a stranded driver on the westbound side of I-26 in Buncombe County a little after 7:30 p.m. when the driver allegedly pulled out a gun and shot him. Dunlap was wearing a bulletproof vest and returned fire, killing the driver.
The suspect was identified as 57-year-old Wesley Scott Taylor of Leicester, North Carolina. Dunlap, a 13-year veteran of the North Carolina Highway Patrol, was taken to a hospital for observation and was released, the agency said.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is conducting an independent investigation to ensure all protocols were followed. Dunlap will be placed on administrative duty pending the results of that investigation, according to Highway Patrol.
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