Two men were arrested after one of them allegedly shot two West Virginia police officers during a traffic stop in Lewisburg Thursday — and then were found to be transporting two dead bodies in their vehicle, authorities said.
The suspects are reportedly a father and son from Texas, with the father being the shooter, according to NBC affiliate WVVA. They were identified as Edward Campbell, 54, and Eric Campbell, 21, according to WSAZ.
The Lewisburg police officers were wounded and expected to survive, West Virginia State Police said.
The officers were shot after they pulled over a sport-utility vehicle with stolen license plates at 4 p.m. on Interstate 64, and a red Chevrolet pickup truck that was following that car pulled over as well, police said.
Edward Campbell, the driver of the pickup, pulled out a handgun and shot both officers, police said. Donna Hinkle, director of administration at the Greenbrier County 911 Center, told NBC News that one was shot in the ribs but was wearing a bulletproof vest, and the other was grazed.
One of the officers returned fire and wounded the driver of the SUV, Eric Campbell, in the leg. He drove off and tried to hide in a wooded area behind a guardrail, but surrendered about 90 minutes later, state police said. His father ran into the woods but was soon apprehended, police said.
After the exchange of gunfire, police found two "recently deceased" bodies in the bed of the pickup truck, hidden under a mattress.
The sheriff in Granville County, North Carolina told NBC affiliate WNCN that the bodies were those of Jerome Faulkner, 73, and his wife Dora, 62. The Faulkners were at their Oak Hill home when two men entered around 7 a.m. Thursday, according to Sheriff Brindell B. Wilkins Jr. The men reportedly set the couples house on fire and then stole their red Chevy pickup truck.
It was unclear at what point the Faulkners were killed or how, and authorities did not have a potential motive yet for the killings.
Both were arrested for malicious assault and attempted murder of a police officer.
The shot officers were identified as Lt. Jeromy Dove and Patrolman Nicholas Sams with the Lewisburg Police. According to a news release, "they were taken to Greenbrier Valley Medical Center and are in good condition."
