Trooper fatally shoots armed driver at traffic stop in North Carolina, state reports

A routine traffic stop for a seat belt infraction turned deadly on Memorial Day, when a trooper with the State Highway Patrol shot and killed an armed motorist, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

The driver was identified as Mark Anthony Diaz, 21, of Randolph County’s Staley community, the State Highway Patrol said in a news release.

It happened around 4:37 p.m. Monday, May 30, on Harmony Drive in Siler City, officials said. Siler City is in Chatham County, about 40 miles southwest of downtown Durham.

The trooper pulled over a Ford pickup truck “for a driver seat belt violation,” officials said.

“During the course of the traffic stop, the suspect presented a pistol and the (trooper) fired his service weapon striking the suspect,” the State Highway Patrol said.

“The involved trooper was not injured during the traffic stop. A passenger fled from the traffic stop but later returned to the scene.”

“Life-saving procedures” on Diaz continued until medics arrived, officials said. However, Diaz died after being taken to a hospital.

The trooper was identified as Rodney N. Cook, “a 16-year veteran” assigned to Chatham County, officials said.

Cook will be transferred to administrative duty while an internal investigation of the shooting is conducted, which is “protocol in any trooper-involved shooting,” officials said.

This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 7:27 AM with the headline "Trooper fatally shoots armed driver at traffic stop in North Carolina, state reports."