Last Updated on June 13, 2022 4:53 pm
RALEIGH – On Sunday, June 12, at approximately 2:23 p.m., the State Highway Patrol was notified of a traffic collision involving an overturned vehicle on US 321 near Mission Road in Hudson (Caldwell County). It was reported that an individual was in the area of the collision scene armed with a firearm.
A deputy with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene, and a trooper arrived shortly after. The suspect fired shots at the officers, and they both returned fire. The suspect subsequently fled into a wooded area and was later located suffering from a believed gunshot wound. Authorities began life-saving procedures until emergency personnel arrived. Emergency personnel transported the suspect to an area hospital, but he was pronounced deceased at a later time. The involved trooper and deputy were not injured.
Authorities have identified Jerome Lavon Connelly, 35, of Morganton, as the deceased in the shooting. Trooper Bryson G. Bowman is identified as the involved member and is a 3-year veteran stationed in Troop F, District 3 (Caldwell County). Bowman will be placed on administrative duty pending an internal investigation which is agency protocol in any trooper-involved shooting.
