Concord police officer dead, another wounded after confronting suspect, NC officials say
One Concord police officer was killed and a second officer was wounded when they confronted a carjacking suspect in a restaurant parking lot late Wednesday, according to the Concord Police Department.
The suspect was later shot and killed by officers, the department said.
Concord officials identified the fatally shot officer as Jason Shuping, 25, who had been with the department since 2019. The wounded officer was identified as Kaleb Robinson, 23. He suffered minor injuries, officials said.
The suspect was identified as Jeremy Maurice Daniels, 29, of Charlotte, according to the state Bureau of Investigation. He had an extensive criminal record and served two years in prison, according to court records.
The shootings occurred just before 11 p.m. in the parking lot of the Sonic Drive-In at 7761 Gateway Lane, near Bruton Smith Boulevard, Concord officials said. Concord borders Charlotte, on the Mecklenburg-Cabarrus county line.
Investigators say the incident began with a 911 call around 10:18 p.m. about a vehicle that crashed near the Exit 49 ramp of northbound Interstate 85, officials said.
A Concord police officer and an on-duty state Alcohol Law Enforcement agent responded to the scene, and found an abandoned vehicle that had crashed into a guardrail, officials said.
A citizen passing by described a male suspect that had attempted to take her vehicle while she was in it, Chief Gary Gacek said at a news conference Thursday morning. The citizen also provided a location, which was near the Sonic drive-in restaurant, he said.
Two additional Concord police officers and the ALE agent went to the restaurant, where they found a male on foot fitting the description of the carjacking suspect, officials said. According to a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, the ALE agent initiated contact with Daniels.
After police and the agent approached Daniels, he pulled out a handgun and began shooting at the officers, Gacek said.
“We believe this is the point in time in which the officers sustained their injuries,” he said.
Gacek said two more Concord Police officers arrived and saw Daniels enter a SUV that “did not belong to him.” The officers and Daniels exchanged gunfire and Daniels was struck and sustained fatal injures, he said.
The two officers involved in the exchange of gunfire were not injured, Gacek said. The officers involved but not injured are 37 and 43 years old, according to Concord officials. The ALE agent sustained minor injuries and was treated and released by medical professionals, officials said.
Gacek said responding officers found the fatally shot officer on the ground and the wounded officer standing nearby “protecting the officer.”
The State Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation, and three officers who responded have been put on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting.
“This loss is devastating not only to the member’s family and loved ones but every police officer across the city, state, and country. Please join us by praying for all involved,” Concord officials posted on Facebook and Twitter.
Daniels had a slew of felonies on his criminal record since 2008, including creating a counterfeit controlled substance; possession of a stolen vehicle; attempted armed robbery; conspiracy to armed robbery, and four counts of armed robbery, according to North Carolina court records.
In June 2010, Daniels was convicted of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and receiving a stolen vehicle. He served two years in prison, records show.
In 2017, he was convicted of assaulting a government official and sentenced to a year of probation.
Memorials for the officer are welcomed and can be placed at Concord Police Department Headquarters at the corner of Cabarrus and Spring streets, the department said.
Shuping graduated from UNC Pembroke in 2018, where he threw javelin, discus and hammer for the Braves’ track team, university records show. He majored in criminal justice.
Prior to college, Shuping attended East Rowan High School. He lettered all four years in track and field and was a three-year member of the varsity football team, according to UNCP. He was also a North Carolina scholar graduate and a member of honors chorus.
His parents, Lynn and Dane Shuping, live in Salisbury, North Carolina, north of Concord.
Thursday afternoon, the Concord Police’s traffic and motor units escorted Shuping’s body from the Charlotte Medical Examiner’s Office to Powles Funeral home in Rowan County.
Concord Police said donations made in honor of Shuping and Robinson can be given to the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 64.
The state reacts
North Carolina lawmakers and politicians offered their condolences throughout Thursday.
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson of Concord said in a statement he was “devastated” to learn about the death.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the officer we lost, for a full and speedy recovery for the other officer injured, and with all of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to keep our community safe,” he said.
Concord Mayor Bill Dusch ordered that all American and North Carolina flags in Concord to be lowered to half-staff.
“Jason Shuping tragically lost his life in the line of duty late last night protecting the community he loved,” Dusch said in a press release.
On Facebook, Gov. Roy Cooper also offered his condolences and said he has spoken with Shuping’s parents.
Condolences poured in to the Concord Police Department’s Facebook page from police departments and citizens around the state.
The incident marks the second time in less than a week that a police officer has been killed in the Charlotte area.
Mount Holly Police Officer Tyler Avery Herndon was shot and killed early Friday in the Belmont area of Gaston County. A suspect is in custody and has been charged in his killing.
“This tragedy along with Officer Herndon’s death last week reminds us that law enforcement officers have extremely difficult, sometimes dangerous jobs, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their courage and service,” Cooper said on Facebook.
On Oct. 3, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, police officer Jacob Hancher was killed while responding to a domestic call.
More than 500 officers killed in last decade
Concord Police last year reported 118 violent crimes, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports database. That marked an 18% increase from 2018 but a 38% decrease from 2009, data show.
From 2010 through last year, 511 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in the United States, including 11 in North Carolina, according to FBI data.
One North Carolina officer — a Mooresville Police Department K9 officer — was killed last year. Officer Jordan Harris Sheldon, 32, was shot and killed in May 2019 after responding to a routine traffic stop
December is the deadliest month for officers, FBI data show. Fifty-four law enforcement officers were killed in December, from 2010 through 2019. That includes eight last December.
Since 2015, six officers nationwide died responding to a burglary call, according to FBI data.
This is a developing story.
Staff writer Gavin Off contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 5:21 AM with the headline "Concord police officer dead, another wounded after confronting suspect, NC officials say."
