LUMBERTON — The person believed to have shot and wounded Lumberton police Officer Marcus Norton shot himself this morning as police watched a trash bin he had taken refuge in while trying to escape, according to Police Chief Mike McNeill.
The man has been identified as 22-year-old Victor Ronald Spearman, McNeill said.
According to McNeill, police knew that Spearman was in a trash bin on East Third Street and spent “several hours … trying to get him to put his gun down. Our negotiators were talking to him.”
He said after police heard a gunshot, they approached the bin and found Spearman injured. He was rushed by ambulance to Southeastern Regional Medical Center. His condition was not available.
Officers who were looking for the gunman had surrounded the trash bin after an officer thought he saw its lid move. After they heard a gunshot, the officers approached it and found Spearman injured. He said Spearman apparently lived with his parents at their Lumberton home.
McNeill said Norton is “fine,” although he is expected to receive more medical treatment. He was shot in a leg.
McNeill said he has not talked with Norton and does not know what led to the altercation with Spearman about 5 a.m. today.
It is the second time a Lumberton police officer has been shot during the past month.
On July 17, Master Police Officer Jeremiah Goodson was shot and killed at a service station off Fayetteville Road while trying to arrest a person who was wanted on several charges. Goodson, who was struck four times, had been off-duty when he saw the person and tried to make the arrest.
Marques Ramon Brown, 27, was arrested immediately and charged with first-degree murder. District Attorney Johnson Britt has said he would seek the death penalty in that case.
Goodson is survived by his wife Lametria, their two children, a newborn and a 2-year-old, and a 16-year-old adopted son. There are multiple efforts to raise money to help the Goodson family.
The Robesonian will continue to update the story today as news becomes available.
To all of up who would defend things like this, know this : loyalty is a fine thing as long as the subject is worthy of that loyalty. When you start wraping your arms around the ports john, you are gonna smell like it yourself, and you ain't gonna help the ports john not be a ports john.
People need to take the consequences for the criminal things they do in life (and I mean the whit dollar ones as much as this punk with a gun in a trash can). That's why our society has gone to hades so fast. No more consequences. We wrap our little punks in bubble wrap!
You are a very sad, tragic, bitter, and little man. We pray for you daily.
Criminal Justice,
Sorry, I missed some. They should be posted now.
Donnie Douglas
Editor
The Robesonian
You know what is sad...people are on here protecting the "kid". By the state of North Carolina, at 18 you are an ADULT. Your actions will have consequences..."mess with a bull get the horns..." By protecting this "kid" you're enabling cops to get shot. If other criminals see that NOTHING happens when cops are shot, then the trend will continue. This is one corruption off our streets. At least we won't be feeding and clothing him for the rest of his life.
As for the ones of you saying "shooting to kill in the head". ----HE SHOT HIMSELF. And protecting him saying he wasn't shooting Marcus to kill him...well #1 it could have been a fatal injury if it would have hit his femoral artery, and who's to say that he didn't just have horrible aim and missed his target and ended up shooting him in the leg.
It is a terrible situation, and there is no punishment too severe for "cop killers". End of story. You all have wool pulled over your eyes if you're protecting this thug. He had an extensive criminal record...and he was possessing a GUN - - he's a FELON! Anyone else see the irony in that?? - Fellons cannot have guns.
Have a great day!
Go ahead and keep your head buried in the sand and in denial, BUT THE FACT IS WE DO KNOW WHAT CRIMINALS LOOK LIKE.
Good Day All
ANON
Its sad that most of you are to stupid to see it, you praise them for twisting a story in a mediocre newspaper (the robesonian).
Good Day All
If you don't like this country, state, county, may I suggest you a one way ticket to anywhere but here....
Be careful LPD you never know whose watching and who that person may know. You will be hearing from me in the future. I am looking for other families as well to build a suit against this disgraceful Police Department.
Also if anyone would like to get into touch with Internal Affairs for this case email me. corrupt_anon@yahoo.com
Good Day All
ANON
Good Day All
ANON
My mom always taught me, "If your @ss is out after 11 pm, you are up to trouble. Unless you are on the way to work, on the way home, or on duty at your job, Your up to trouble..." 5am on a Sunday morning.... hmmm.... SUSPICIOUS... around an area known for crime.... SUSPICIOUS.... shot a police officer.... GUILTY!!!
When this liberal, bleeding heart county quits allowing this kind of crap to continue, and starts requiring people to be accountable, then and only then can we progress....
have a good day.
ANON
Now lets talk about something else, if you are going to ask for the death penalty for an officer getting shot then why not ask for the death penalty for non-officers when they are murdered by thugs also. When you apply this uniform standard to all then the thugs will not feel as confident about shooting to kill. At this point, thugs feel safe and secure in that they can kill without fear of a death penalty because they know they will get some sort of plea bargain or under the table deal to get a light sentence.
As my name suggest, there is so much "crazy stuff" ALLOWED in robeson county. Just yesterday in New York the NYPD shot and killed a punk that had a knife threatning others and would not put it down upon repeated request from police officers. Now that is how it should be handled. No begging or pleading, no negotiating and no having to feed them or cloth them. Just effective shooting and one less thug to worry about killing or hurting others in New York. Way to go NYPD for getting another would be killer off the streets for good?
-Anon