'Tragic And Senseless': Concord Officer Killed In Deadly Overnight Shooting

A Concord Police officer was killed and another wounded in an overnight shooting near Concord Mills Mall on Wednesday (December 16), police confirm. The armed suspect was killed during the incident. As of 11 a.m., the identities of all involved have not been released.

"This tragic and senseless loss of a member of our CPD family is devastating not only to the officer's family and loved ones but to every law enforcement officer in this city, county, state, and country," said Police Chief Gary Gacek.

Police responded to a call of a car crash on Bruton Smith Boulevard around 11 p.m., but when they arrived they found an abandoned vehicle. They were approached by someone claiming a man had just tried to carjack their vehicle before he ran off. When the two officers, and an on-duty ALE agent, approached a man fitting the description, he began shooting. More officers arrived, and gunfire was exchanged, ending with the suspect being fatally shot.

The officer killed has not been publicly identified, but the 25 year old had been on the force for 18 months. The wounded officer, who is 23 years old, has been with the department for just nine months and is expected to fully recover. Police said the suspect was a 29-year-old convicted felon.

This is the first time the Concord Police Department has lost an officer in the line of duty.

"There's no playbook for this," said Chief Gacek. "Concord Police Department is comprised of a resilient bunch. We're going to get through this. We're a big family."

Memorials for the fallen officer can be placed outside the Concord Police Department Headquarters at the corner of Cabarrus Avenue and Spring Street.

All officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave as part of the standard CPD policy, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation will continue to investigate.

The deadly incident comes less than a week after a young Mount Holly officer was also killed in a deadly overnight shooting. Officer Tyler Herndon was shot and killed two days shy of his 26th birthday. He had been with the department for less than two years.

"It's tragic incidents like these that serve as a grim reminder that police officers take an oath to serve their community and lay their lives on the line each day to protect the public," said Gacek.

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