Two men died after a shootout in a south Raleigh neighborhood Tuesday evening that also left a Raleigh officer injured.
The suspect killed in the incident was 70-year-old Antonio Rodrigues, and the other man killed, who authorites described as a victim, was 73-year-old John Rowe, according to an update from Raleigh police Wednesday afternoon.
A police officer was also shot and taken to WakeMed with a "serious gunshot wound," police said. He was out of surgery and listed in critical condition as of late Tuesday night, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said at a news conference just before midnight.
Officers first responded to the call at a neighborhood south of Raleigh's downtown area at about 5:30 p.m. A woman called 911 about a burglary in her home, police said. Patterson said the woman may have been in a previous relationship with the suspect.
Police said they heard shots coming from inside the house when they got to the scene, and called for backup.
Police announced the death of Rowe at a late-night news conference Tuesday.
The shooting happened on one of the coldest nights of winter in the new year so far. The city was forecast to see a trace of snow, and a white dusting was on streets and cars as police investigated.
"I do want the community to pray for our officer. Our officer suffered a serious gunshot wound in the gunfire exchange with the suspect and he is in the hospital at this time, and we need your prayers," Raleigh Deputy Chief Rico Boyce said Tuesday evening.
The Raleigh Police Department said officers are investigating what led to the shootout.
The State Bureau of Investigation is also investigating, which is the standard procedure when a police officer is involved in a shooting.
"The subject inside the residence continued to shoot at the officers. Officers on scene returned fire striking the subject. I will say that the suspect is deceased here at the residence. We did have one officer that was shot," he said.
A massive police presence shut off access to the Renaissance Park subdivision near the intersection of Tryon Road and U.S. 70 after the shooting.
Police warned people to avoid the area just after 6:30 p.m.
The violence Tuesday night is also after a deadly shooting on Jan. 17 rocked the typcially quiet and upscale North Hills community. The midday incident at Raleigh’s busy shopping center left one man dead and two wounded and put four area schools on lockdown. It also drew a massive police presence to the midtown center.
Tuesday night, the police chief touched on the impact these deadly incidents have had on the community.
This shooting also follows the recent funeral of Officer Michael Horan with the Greensboro Police Department. He was responding to a call about a man with a gun inside the Food Lion on Lawndale Drive when the Dec. 23 shooting happened, authorities said. His funeral was held on Jan. 9.
