COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC — The community is mourning the loss of North Carolina State Trooper Kevin K. Conner. Conner was shot and killed early Wednesday morning during a traffic stop in Columbus County, North Carolina.

“At approximately 12:15 a.m. on Wednesday, October 17, [Trooper Conner] stopped a white GMC pickup truck for a speeding violation on US 701 near Sellers Town Road in Columbus County. The driver of the pickup pulled over onto the shoulder and the trooper made his initial approach. The driver of the pickup then fired several shots, striking the trooper,” a North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesperson said. “After assaulting the trooper, the driver fled the scene, traveling into Fair Bluff. Local police attempted to stop the vehicle and the driver fled, initiating a brief pursuit. The driver of the pickup then fled on foot after his vehicle became disabled while attempting to cross over a railroad crossing. After an extensive search, authorities located the driver and placed him in custody without incident. He was transported to the Columbus County Jail by investigators.”

Trooper Conner was an 11-year veteran of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesperson said.

“The Highway Patrol family is mourning the loss of a hero and will forever be changed by the tragic events that have occurred,” Colonel Glenn McNeill Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol, said. “We ask everyone to please keep Trooper Conner’s family and all who knew him in your thoughts and prayers.”

Information about the person arrested for killing Trooper Conner has not yet been released.