Police officer injured in shootout with Garner murder suspect Thursday night
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- Raleigh police were involved in a shootout Thursday night on Woodbend Drive.
- The incident occurred as they allegedly tried to search the home of Solomon Owens.
- Owens, 26, was arrested in the Feb. 9 shooting death of Joey Adams, 41, of Garner.
Ten days after a Garner man was fatally shot while driving home from work, a Durham man was arrested in his death Thursday night after a shootout with police.
Solomon Owens, 26, shot at Raleigh police officers shortly after 7 p.m. as they tried to enter a Woodbend Drive home to execute a search warrant on behalf of Garner police, according to a Raleigh Police Department news release.
At least one officer shot back, and an officer and Owens were injured, police said. They were released from the hospital Thursday night after being treated for minor injuries.
The State Bureau of Investigation will review the incident, as will the Raleigh Police Department’s internal investigations unit, which is standard practice in such shootings.
Owens is accused of killing Joseph “Joey” Adams, 41, who died Feb. 9 after his car was shot into on Timber Drive in Garner, according to police.
He remained in the Wake County jail without bail as of Friday morning. Court records show he faces the following charges related to the shootout:
- Two counts of attempted first-degree murder
- Five counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer or police officer with a firearm
- Three counts of assaulting an emergency worker with a deadly weapon with intent to kill
Owens allegedly shot at the officers with a .300 Blackout AR-15 pistol, striking one officer in the back of the head and hitting another officer’s ballistic shield, according to arrest warrants. He also faces two pending charges in Durham County of allegedly stealing a Radical Arms RF-15 300 Blackout rifle from a woman in Durham on Thursday; it’s not clear from court documents if it was the same gun used in the shootout.
Garner Police Chief Chris Adams thanked Raleigh police for their help in a written statement Thursday.
“This arrest reflects the relentless dedication of our investigators and the strength of collaboration among our partner agencies,” Adams said.
Previous convictions
Court records show Owens has several previous convictions, including charges of felony conspiracy and common law robbery in Durham and Warren counties. He most recently pleaded guilty in September 2022 to possession of a firearm by a felon in Durham County and was sentenced to a minimum of a year and five months and a maximum of two years and six months in prison.
One of Owens’ prior convictions appears to be tied to a 2018 arrest in two attempted gang initiations, The Warren Record reported. At that time, Owens told investigators he was a member of the Haley Street Folk Nation gang and had tried to initiate another man into the gang by driving him to shoot up two different homes, according to the outlet.
Owens’ bail paperwork notes he has “gang affiliations” and has been “deemed dangerous to society.”
Owens also has pending citations for speeding in New Hanover County on Jan. 27 and in Pender County on Jan. 22, court records show.
About Joey Adams
Joey Adams was married and had five children, according to Garner police. His obituary described him as a devoted family man who enjoyed old coins and baseball cards.
“He could often be found carefully examining pennies, always hopeful he would discover that one wheat penny that might make him a rich man,” the obituary says. “It was one of the small joys that brought him excitement and a spark of adventure.”
A Gofundme for Adams’ family had raised nearly all its $18,000 goal as of Friday morning.
The investigation into Joey Adams’ death remains ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the Garner Police Department’s dedicated tip hotline at 919-890-7318.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 8:22 AM with the headline "Police officer injured in shootout with Garner murder suspect Thursday night."
