Man wanted in officer’s slaying captured arraigned

COVENTRY, R.I. – A wounded fugitive wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a police officer in North Carolina was captured by police in Rhode Island on Wednesday and was arraigned, state police said.

Authorities surrounded a Coventry apartment where Irving Fenner surrendered peacefully early Wednesday, state police said.

Fenner was taken to a hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound. State police Col. Steven O’Donnell said Fenner was wounded during a shootout Saturday with Shelby, North Carolina, police Officer Tim Brackeen, who had been trying to serve him with a warrant.

Brackeen died Monday. His funeral is scheduled for Friday afternoon at Shelby High School, Principal David Allen told The Shelby Star.

Fenner was released from the hospital and taken to state police headquarters, where he was arraigned Wednesday night on charges of murder and being a fugitive from justice. He appeared in hospital scrubs and a sling, and was ordered held without bail. Fenner has outstanding warrants for robbery and kidnapping out of North Carolina. He couldn’t be reached for comment while in custody, and it was unclear whether he had a lawyer who could comment for him.

Fenner, of Grover, North Carolina, was picked up and driven Monday to Rhode Island, where he has many family members, police said.

The Rhode Island state police tactical team, federal agents and local police raided a home in South Providence on Tuesday night in hopes of finding Fenner, but he wasn’t there.

Police did, however, arrest Fenner’s half-sister on a charge of harbouring a fugitive. She also was wanted on a warrant out of North Carolina on a charge of being an accessory after the fact. It was unclear if the warrant was related to Brackeen’s killing.

Two occupants of the Coventry apartment where Fenner was found also were arrested and were charged with harbouring a fugitive. One was Fenner’s uncle, the other was his uncle’s girlfriend.

All three were arraigned Wednesday night.