Sandy MaloneKernersville, NC – A Kernersville police officer is in critical condition after he was shot three times with his own gun early on Sunday morning.
The incident occurred at about 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 21 after Kernersville Police Officer Sean Houle was at Century Square Apartments “returning a subject to his residence after release from custody” the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
That’s when Officer Houle ran into 37-year-old Quinton Blocker for the second time in 24 hours.
The arrest affidavit said that Officer Houle had encountered Blocker earlier in the day when the suspect fled a traffic stop, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
Kernersville Police Spokesman Officer Blake Jones said Blocker shot Officer Houle three times with his own gun.
Officer Houle was struck in the face, arm, and hand, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Please continue to pray for Officer S. Houle of the Kernersville Police Department. He is still fighting hard, and is in critical condition in the ICU after being shot three times yesterday morning. pic.twitter.com/zcnvkMLZav
— K9s of Valor (@k9sofvalor) February 22, 2021
The wounded hero was able to radio dispatch and tell them he needed help.
Blocker fled the scene.
Officer Jones did not reveal any details of how Blocker obtained the officer’s .45-caliber Glock, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
Officer Houle was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and was receiving treatment.
We offer our prayers to our Kernersville Police Department neighbors and friends as one of their officers was shot in the line of duty this morning. #policews pic.twitter.com/DYWGxW5906
— cityofwspolice (@cityofwspolice) February 21, 2021
#Praying for the Kernersville Police Department Officer who was shot multiple times yesterday. pic.twitter.com/JEnbbwFzWE
— NYPD Chaplains Unit (@NYPDchaplains) February 22, 2021
“We know this is tragic for our community,” Officer Jones told reporters at a press briefing. “This is not something we normally face.”
He said that Officer Houle had been a member of the Kernersville Police Department for several years, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
#BREAKING Multiple Triad agencies are searching for a suspect after they say an officer was shot in Kernersville around 3:30 a.m. Police are asking residents to remain on alert. @WFMY #get2it
— Stacey Spivey (@staceyspivey) February 21, 2021
Police received a tip at about 9:45 a.m. on Sunday that Blocker had been spotted in the area of Oak Grove Church Road.
Officers responded to the area and found the suspect.
Blocker was taken into custody without incident, WGHP reported.
He was arrested on charges of first-degree attempted murder, felony assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by felon.
Blocker was booked into the Forsyth County Detention Center where he was being held on a $1 million secured bond, WGHP reported.
Court records showed the Blocker spent time in prison after he was convicted of breaking into six vehicles in Davison County and possession of a stolen vehicle in High Point in 2015, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
He served two years and three months in prison and was released in July of 2020.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Winston-Salem police were assisting with the investigation, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
Holly Matkin