HENDERSON, N.C. (WNCN) – A Henderson police officer was shot while investigating the fatal shooting of a teenage boy on Thursday morning, authorities said.

Police officers responded to a shots fired call Wednesday around 9 p.m. in the 400-block of Charles Street. When officers arrived on scene, they located a person lying in the road with a gunshot wound.

The shooting victim, identified as 16-year-old Adonious Hawkins, Jr., was transported to a local hospital and then transferred to an area hospital for further treatment, police said.

A woman who identified herself as a family member of Hawkins told CBS 17 her younger cousin, who turned 16 on Monday, was shot while riding his bike down Charles Street.

The woman said her cousin was riding his bike when a vehicle drove by and fired shots at him. He was flown by helicopter from Maria Parham Health to Duke Hospital where he died. Police confirmed that Hawkins died while at the hospital.

  • A Henderson police officer was shot while investigating a shooting Thursday morning (CBS 17)
  • A Henderson police officer was shot while investigating a shooting Thursday morning (CBS 17)
  • A Henderson police officer was shot while investigating a shooting Thursday morning (CBS 17)
  • A bullet hole in a shutter at the scene of a drive-by shooting that injured an officer (CBS 17)
  • A neighbor reported hearing around 20 gunshots. At least one of the bullets ended up on his property, just feet from where a child plays (CBS 17)
  • A neighbor reported hearing around 20 gunshots. At least one of the bullets ended up on his property, just feet from where a child plays (CBS 17)
  • Blood on the grass at the scene of the Charles Street shooting (CBS 17)
  • A vehicle with bullet holes in the back window at the scene of the Charles Street shooting (CBS 17)
  • Police tape at the scene of the Charles Street shooting (CBS 17)
  • A neighbor put up a sign asking “How Many?” have to be shot or killed before something is done about violence in Henderson (CBS 17)

A neighbor on Charles Street told CBS 17 that her daughter-in-law called police right after hearing the gunshots and her son ran outside to help the teen.

She described Hawkins as “trembling and shaking” after he had been shot.

That neighbor has since placed a sign near an evidence marker asking “How Many?” will be shot or killed before the violence in Henderson ends.

The second shooting happened Thursday around 12 a.m. about a mile away on N. Pinkston Street, while police officers were conducting interviews about the Charles Street shooting, according to officials.

Police say a Henderson Police Department officer was struck by gunfire from a passing vehicle in the area while he was on the front porch of a resident on the street, according to Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington.

The officer was transported to Maria Parham Health and then flown by LifeFlight to Duke Medical Center, Ellington said.

Ronald Ragland, who lives on the street where the officer was shot, told CBS 17 that he heard about 20 gunshots and saw the officer being frantically loaded into the back of an ambulance.

According to Ellington, the officer had just received a promotion and had been with the department for some time. Ellington did not release the name of the officer or say where on his body he was shot. Police said they won’t be releasing the officer’s name.

The officer is expected to be OK, the mayor said.

Officers from the Henderson Police Department, Vance County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies are actively investigating both shootings.

The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the officer’s shooting.

Anyone from the area that may have information on either of the two shootings is urged to contact the Henderson Police Department at 252-438-4141. If you have information regarding the officer’s shooting, you can also call the SBI Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m at 919-779-8188. For after hours and weekends, call the SBI Operations Center at 1-800-334-3000.