North Carolina trooper kills man during traffic stop

SHALLOTTE, N.C. – Authorities say a North Carolina trooper fatally shot a man who sped toward him while fleeing a traffic stop.

The State Highway Patrol said Wednesday that 28-year-old Brandon Lovell Webster of Shallotte died from a gunshot wound at a hospital in coastal Brunswick County, in the state’s southeast corner.

The state patrol says in a statement that Trooper Scott Collins fired into Webster’s vehicle Tuesday night. The patrol said previously that Collins fired because Webster accelerated toward him while fleeing the scene.

State Patrol spokesman Sgt. Chris Knox says Collins is white and Webster was black.

The State Bureau of Investigation is handling the probe, and the trooper has been placed on administrative duty.