WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The name of the man involved in a shooting with members of the Cape Fear Regional Special Teams SWAT Unit has been identified by the Wilmington Police Department.
Wilmington Police Department officers, members of the Cape Fear Regional Special Teams, SWAT team, and crisis negotiators arrived at a home in the 900 block of S 11th Street just before 5:45 a.m. to serve a high-risk search warrant to 27-year-old Malik Samuell Thompson. The warrant was related to a drug investigation.
“Upon arrival, officers immediately began to call out to the suspect on a loudspeaker. WPD personnel also deployed a distraction device inside of a window at the residence. Upon deploying the device through the window, without warning, the suspect then began to open fire at the officers. One WPD officer was struck in his ballistic vest but thankfully did not sustain serious injuries. The SWAT team members then returned fire, striking the suspect and critically wounding him,” WPD stated in a news release.
According to police, SWAT team medics performed aid to the suspect until EMS arrived.
The suspect, Thompson was taken to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center where he remains in critical condition.
No officers received serious injuries as a result of the shootout.
Wilmington Police says officers found 416 dosage units of fentanyl, 18.75 grams of cocaine, 76 dosage usage of Xanax, and a gun inside the home.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident. WPD states that two officers who fired their weapons are on paid administrative leave.
The WPD held a press conference at 9:30 a.m. to share details about the shootout.