A WakeMed campus police officer was shot and killed Saturday morning at the WakeMed Garner Healthplex off U.S. Highway 70.
Officer Roger Smith died in the shooting around 9 a.m. while on duty in the emergency department lobby, WakeMed said in a news release. He was 59.
Benji Martin Jr. of Garner was charged with murder in Smith’s death.
WakeMed said Smith was involved in a “struggle” before getting shot. WRAL News is working to learn more about what led up to the shooting.
“Our thoughts and prayers are now with the Smith family as they come to learn of this tragic event,” WakeMed wrote in the release.
The town also said there is no active threat to the public.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office said there is no known active threat.
Smith worked for the Knightdale Police Department from 1997 to 2013. Knightdale Police Chief Lawrence Capps said Smith was “a local hero.”
Steven Moore worked in law enforcement and went to Garner High School with Smith. He’ll remember Smith for his professionalism and eagerness to serve the community.
“For it to be somebody that you were once really close to, it’s very heartbreaking,” Moore said. “He epitomized what it meant to be a law enforcement officer.”
On Saturday, Gov. Josh Stein posted on X about the shooting.
“My heart goes out to the family of Officer Roger Smith, who was killed protecting patients and their families,” Stein wrote. “Law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe, and we are forever grateful for Officer Smith’s sacrifice.
“Please pray for his family and the entire WakeMed community in their time of need.”
There was a procession for Smith on Saturday afternoon from WakeMed Raleigh to the medical examiner’s office.
The Raleigh Police Department posted on Instagram about Smith.
“The Raleigh Police Department extends our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of WakeMed Police Officer Roger Smith, who tragically lost his life in the line of duty [Saturday] morning,” the post reads. “We stand with our brothers and sisters in blue at WakeMed Police Department during this heartbreaking time.
“Please keep Officer Smith’s loved ones and his department in your thoughts and prayers.”
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office had a post about Smith on Facebook.
“Today our heart is heavy as we join WakeMed and the law enforcement community in mourning the loss of WakeMed Police Officer Roger Smith,” the post reads. “Please keep Officer Smith’s family and the entire WakeMed team in your thoughts and prayers.
“Though he did not wear a WCSO uniform, he will always be a part of our first responder family.”
The Zebulon Police Department also posted about Smith, saying, “The Zebulon Police Department extends our deepest condolences following the tragic loss of WakeMed Police Officer Roger Smith. Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Smith, his family, and the WakeMed and law enforcement community during this difficult time.”
Smith spent more than a decade working at WakeMed. In 2023, Smith celebrated 10 years of service for the health care company.
There was a procession for Roger Smith on Saturday afternoon from WakeMed Raleigh to the medical examiner’s office.
Friend and owner of the Twisted Willow Boutique John Bilott described Smith as a giving person.
“I am in utter disbelief right now,” Bilott said. “Roger was first a coworker of mine working in the ER where this took place, but we developed a friendship.”
Bilott said the death of his friend came as a “huge shock.”
On Saturday, there was a staging location for officers at Agri Supply, which is across the street from the WakeMed Garner Healthplex. The State Bureau of Investigation was helping in the investigation.
WRAL News was on the scene where multiple police cruisers are parked up and down the road in front of the hospital. Drone 5 flew above the scene at the hospital where cruisers are blocking off entrances toward the hospital.
Mike McIver, who is a retired deputy police chief in Garner and ran for the town council, posted an update on his Facebook page.
“Everyone please stop what you are doing and pray 🙏 for the WakeMed officer that was shot at WakeMed Garner,” McIver said.
Tie Whittaker was across the street from the hospital at the Agri Supply to sell cookies for Lexy’s Bussin’ Baking. Agri Supply hosts a weekly weekend farmer’s market.
Whittaker said police cars started to arrive in the area between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Saturday. She said it was shocking to see so many police cars.
“We saw a bunch of police cars from all over, Raleigh, Garner, I’m not sure if I saw a Clayton one, but there was a ton of them kind of swarming the hospital,” Whittaker said. “They put up that yellow tape super fast.”
Whittaker and another vendor named Tammy Flowers said a few ambulances that arrived, including one that rushed off with several police cars following it.
Authorities took Smith to the WakeMed Raleigh campus, which has a Level I Trauma Center.
“It’s definitely not something you see every day,” Whittaker said. “Folks were really worried about it.”
Vendor Delsey Avery said she was setting up her tent when she saw and heard police cars.
“When they pulled into the hospital, it was like the jumped out of the cars with shields and guns, so we knew something serious was going on,” Avery said.
Flowers shared with WRAL News about what she saw.
“They just continued to keep coming and coming,” Flowers said. “They started to put up police tape.
“There was obviously a sense of urgency, but no, none of us really knew what was going on.”
Flowers said the situation was concerning given the vendors’ proximity to the incident. She said the Saturday morning market is usually calm and quiet.
“We didn’t really hear anything,” Flowers said. “We were just kind of concerned that, obviously, something nefarious may be going on over there.
“[I’m] hoping that everybody is OK.”
