Raleigh, NC – Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the Wednesday night shooting of a Raleigh police officer.

Raleigh Police Officer Charles Ainsworth encountered the attackers at approximately 8:25 p.m. on Jan. 9, as he was responding to a report of a vehicle that was believed to have been involved in an earlier carjacking, WRAL reported.

Officer Ainsworth came under fire nearly immediately after he exited his patrol vehicle on Western Boulevard.

He was shot multiple times with a .45-caliber handgun, and at least one round struck him in the neck.

Fellow officers rushed Officer Ainsworth towards WakeMed, and were able to transfer him to an ambulance along the way, WRAL reported.

Upon his arrival at the hospital, WakeMed staff diverted all non-trauma patients to other hospitals.

He underwent surgery at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, but his condition has not been released.

According to court documents, 24-year-old Cedric Jamal Kearney had allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint prior to the shooting, and made off with the victim’s vehicle, wallet, and phone.

When Officer Ainsworth located him and attempted to take him into custody, Kearney shot him repeatedly, police said.

He fled the scene prior to officers’ arrival, and ended up inside a carport storage closet at a residence on Wendy Lane, WRAL reported.

The homeowner called police at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, and explained that the gunman had accidentally locked himself inside the closet, which can only be opened from the outside.

Kearney tried to get out by using tools to disengage the latch, but was unsuccessful.

He is being held on $2.5 million bond for assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, attempted murder, and robbery with a dangerous weapon.

A second suspect, 21-year-old Antonio Dequan Fletcher, was apprehended on Teakwood Place. He has been charged with possession of a stolen firearm, and is being held on $10,000 bond.

Neither suspect had a prior criminal history.

Officer Ainsworth graduated from the Raleigh Police Academy in December of 2017, according to WRAL.

His condition has not been officially released, but he has made it through surgery.