Kings Mountain police officer recovering after being shot near country club Saturday
.jpg "A police officer is recovering after being shot Saturday in Kings Mountain. Officer Frank Lee Whittington Jr. underwent surgery and is expected to survive.")
A law enforcement officer is recovering after being hurt in a shooting Saturday evening in Kings Mountain.
Kings Mountain Police Officer Cpl Frank Lee Whittington Jr. underwent surgery and is expected to survive, according to police chief Lisa Proctor. Whittington has served with the police department for 13 years.
“We are thankful he is still alive,” said Proctor. “We are thankful we are not planning the third funeral in more than a week for another law enforcement officer.”
Cleveland County Sheriff Alan Norman said a shooting happened around 8:15 p.m. near the Kings Mountain Country Club.
Proctor said the call came in just after 8 p.m. on Downing Street.
She said a person called the police and said there was a suspicious person on their back porch.
That person ran in the direction of the country club where shots were exchanged.
N.C. State Bureau of Investigation is taking over the investigation. The police chief says she doesn’t have immediate details on the shooting, and that more information would be provided at a later time.
Proctor said she spoke with Whittington shortly before he went into surgery.
“He is very thankful for the support and the fact that he is still alive,” Proctor said.
Proctor said she is thankful her officer is still alive, along with the suspect.
“Sometimes folks make bad decisions that end with bad consequences,” Proctor said. “But everyone deserves to be taken care of and treated fairly.”
It has been a difficult week for law enforcement officers in the WBTV viewing area.
Mount Holly Police Officer Tyler Herndon, who was from Kings Mountain. was shot and killed while responding to a call early on Dec. 11.
Then, on Wednesday night, Concord Police Officer Jason Shuping and fatally shot in the line of duty.
Rowan County deputy Kara Alsup died at the hospital on Dec. 12, just a few days after a serious crash on I-485 in Charlotte.
This story was originally published December 20, 2020 at 6:18 AM.