Woman says grandson shot 8 times by Laurinburg police officer
Laurinburg, N.C. (WPDE) — Wanda Bethea said her 18-year-old grandson was shot eight times early Saturday morning by a Laurinburg police officer near the park at Lee's Mill Road Produce Market Road in Laurinburg.
Bethea said she isn’t sure what led to the shooting.
She added her grandson has 17 wounds and underwent an eight-hour surgery this past Saturday and will be in need of more surgeries.
"He's fighting for his life. He’s fighting for his life. And as far as the investigation, we can't say anything, like. The SBI. It could take a week. It could take a month. It could take whatever. You know, we're still waiting to hear from there. I understand it's going to take some time for this to take place,” said Bethea.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is investigating the officer involved shooting, according to Laurinburg Police Chief Darwin Williams.
Williams said, at this time, he's not able to release any more information because the investigation is ongoing.
Bethea said she’s not sure why the officer shot her grandson, but she wants the truth to come out.
"I hate action that was taken. I dislike the action that was taken against him. In every job, there is a protocol that takes place. If he did, what he did, I am apologizing on his behalf, as a grandparent. And I don't have any animosity toward anyone today. The only thing I pray is that God. All I can say is God gone get the glory,” said Bethea.
Bethea said it’s her prayer that an incident, such as the one that injured her grandson, doesn’t happen again.
"I pray that this gone be the first shooting in Scotland County and it'll be the last. But, like I said, I heard about it, I've seen it and I've heard of it. But I never thought my family would be experiencing this today. I try to do a lot of things in the community as far as bringing things together, advocating, and this happen to my grandkid. But it's okay. God don't make no mistakes. That all I know."
Bethea said she’s contemplating holding a prayer vigil this coming Saturday in the area where the shooting happened, but she hasn’t made a final decision.
We've reached out to that SBI to learn additional details.
Laurinburg police, Scotland Rescue, Scotland County EMS and Laurinburg fire all responded to the incident.
We will bring you more information when it's made available to us.
