Copied from
www.wral.comhttp://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5021091/'Blazing guns' wound two in
Franklin County shoot-out
Posted: Apr. 24 5:02
p.m.
Updated: Apr. 24 11:11 p.m.
Gunmen dressed as police officers
burst into a house in the Pilot community in southern Franklin County, sparking
a shoot-out that injured two people late Wednesday, authorities said.
WATCH VIDEO Franklin County shoot-out injures two @ http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5021091/
Investigators
said that a man was standing on the front porch of a house in the 8300 block of
N.C. Highway 39 making a personal call on a cell phone around 9 p.m. when two
gunmen approached him.
"One had a police hat on, handcuffs and a badge,
dressed in dark clothing," said Capt. Tim Strickland, with the Franklin County
Sheriff's Office.
The gunmen held the man at gunpoint and then burst into
the house, planning to rob those inside, investigators said.
"It's just
like the old saying 'Guns blazing.' That's how they went inside,"
Strickland.
WATCH VIDEO Surveillance video of Franklin County
shoot-out @ http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5021091/
A
surveillance camera over the front door, though, had already alerted those
inside the house that gunmen were outside.
"The patrons on the inside can
actually see what's going on on the outside, so they knew they were getting
robbed," Strickland said. "Once the door flew open, one of the robbers screamed,
'This is a robbery.' One of the patrons said, 'No, it's not,' and they started
exchanging gunfire."
One of the robbers was shot in the shoulder during
the shoot-out, and the surveillance video shows the gunmen quickly running out
of the house soon after they entered it.
They chased down one man in the
parking lot and shot him in the buttocks, Strickland said. Authorities believe
the gunmen made off with about $2,000 from that victim.
The victim was
treated and released from at a hospital. Investigators contacted local
hospitals, but none reported treating any other patients with gunshot
wounds.
Investigators said that poker games might have been going on at
the house. Tables were set up in the house when deputies arrived, but no cards
or money were present.
"It's pretty secluded. We don't even know how they
found out about the place," Strickland said.
Investigators said that they
are treating the property owners as victims and that their priority is
identifying gunmen posing as cops.
"This probably wasn't their first
trip. These guys are dangerous. They're not afraid of firing a weapon,"
Strickland said.
Reporter:
Dan BowensPhotographer:
Greg HutchinsonWeb Editor:
Anne JohnsonCopied from
www.wral.comhttp://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5021091/