Police say two officers were struck on protective gear during the Feb. 19 encounter.
RALEIGH, NC — A murder suspect fired 10 shots at Raleigh officers during a Feb. 19 shootout at a north Raleigh apartment complex, striking one officer’s ballistic helmet and another officer’s ballistic shield, according to a police report released this week.
Authorities said the gunfire broke out as officers tried to take Solomon Owens, 26, into custody on warrants tied to the shooting death of Joseph “Joey” Adams in nearby Garner. The report adds new detail about how the confrontation unfolded, how officers avoided more serious injuries, and how Owens was ultimately arrested after the brief exchange of gunfire.
Police said the events started earlier this month in Garner, where investigators accuse Owens of killing Adams during what authorities have described as a road rage encounter. Adams, 41, was found shot to death Feb. 9 inside a red Honda Accord on Timber Drive near Vandora Springs Road, a case that drew a multi-agency search as detectives worked to identify and locate a suspect. Garner Police Chief Chris Adams said at a late-night briefing after the Raleigh shooting that investigators remained focused on justice for the victim’s family.
Raleigh police said officers went to the 7100 block of Woodbend Drive, off Six Forks Road, on the evening of Feb. 19 to serve warrants connected to the Garner homicide investigation and to locate Owens. The department’s Selective Enforcement Unit approached a residence just after 7 p.m., according to a five-day report that Raleigh police release after a shooting involving an officer. As officers moved to the front door, police said, the encounter escalated within moments after contact was made at the doorway.
The report says Owens fired 10 rounds from an AR-style pistol as officers tried to enter. The rounds struck a Raleigh SWAT officer’s ballistic helmet and hit another officer’s ballistic shield, police said. One officer returned fire, discharging two rounds, but did not hit Owens, according to the report. Raleigh police have not publicly identified the officers involved by name, but court and media reports have identified the SWAT officer who was struck as J. Rich.
Officials said the protective equipment likely prevented a far worse outcome. The officer hit on the helmet was taken to WakeMed for treatment and was later released, police said. Another officer was taken for evaluation and also released. Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce said after the shooting that officers were safe and that the public was not facing an ongoing threat. At the same briefing, Garner’s police chief said he was grateful the officers were not seriously injured during the attempt to arrest a suspect wanted in a homicide case.
What happened next, police said, was a fast-moving standoff measured in seconds. The report says that shortly after the gunfire, Owens exited the apartment with a woman who was holding a small child. A federal criminal complaint cited in local reporting described Owens as using the woman and infant as cover as officers tried to arrest him outside. Attorney Lee Turner, a former Raleigh police officer who reviewed public details of the case, said that kind of moment can force officers to slow down and reassess because an innocent person may be in the line of fire.
Police said the confrontation ended when an officer used a less-lethal “sponge round” to stop Owens. The projectile struck Owens in the leg, the report said, and officers took him into custody. Owens had minor injuries, police said. Early public accounts suggested Owens had been shot, but the later report said he was not wounded by gunfire during the exchange.
The shooting set off a large police response in the neighborhood. Residents on Woodbend Drive described flashing lights, blocked streets, and heavy police presence, with some neighbors saying they saw drones overhead and officers carrying rifles as they moved through the area. Lauren Loukoutou, who lives nearby, said she posted about the police activity on a neighborhood app and quickly began seeing messages from others trying to make sense of what was happening. Another resident, Lynda Boulay, said she counted multiple police vehicles near her home and said she had not seen that level of police presence on the street before.
Owens was brought before a judge the next day and ordered held without bond, authorities said. He faces a cluster of felony charges tied to the Raleigh shootout and the Garner homicide investigation, including charges alleging assaults on law enforcement officers. Police said most of the charges were filed in Wake County, with additional weapons charges filed in Durham. Investigators have not released a full public accounting of every count, but officials have described the case as involving multiple felonies and separate investigations that converged when officers attempted the arrest in Raleigh.
In Garner, investigators have said the homicide they are linking to Owens began as an apparent dispute between drivers. Police have alleged Owens shot Adams because Owens believed Adams did not allow him to change lanes. Authorities have not publicly described the relationship between the two men, and officials have said they were still working to clarify the motive and sequence of events leading up to the fatal shooting. Family members described Adams as a devoted husband and a proud father of five, and they said they struggled to understand why he was targeted.
The Raleigh shootout is also under review through the process that follows an officer-involved shooting in North Carolina. Raleigh police said the State Bureau of Investigation was involved in reviewing the incident. The department’s five-day report is meant to provide a basic timeline soon after a shooting, while longer investigations can take weeks or months as investigators interview witnesses, examine forensic evidence, and review video and dispatch records. Police have not said whether any body-worn camera video or other footage will be released publicly, and no detailed public account has been provided about what officers saw at the doorway before shots were fired.
Officials said one of the key questions is how quickly the gunfire began once officers made contact at the residence. Court documents cited in early coverage said Owens fired at multiple officers. The police report released this week focused on the 10 shots fired by Owens, the two shots fired by an officer, and the impacts to protective gear. Police have not said whether any rounds struck the building or nearby vehicles, or whether any other residents were in the line of fire. The report said the child and the woman who exited the apartment were not injured.
After the arrest, the case expanded beyond state charges. Federal prosecutors filed a charge accusing Owens, a convicted felon, of possessing a firearm, according to local reporting. Authorities identified the weapon in the federal case as a Radical Firearms model 300BLK rifle. The filing of a federal gun charge can change the trajectory of a case, because the federal system carries its own sentencing structure and timelines. Turner, the former Raleigh officer, said federal prosecution can greatly increase the amount of time a defendant could face if convicted.
Owens remained in custody at the Wake County Detention Center as of this week, authorities said. Any future hearings in the state cases would be scheduled in Wake County court, while the federal charge would proceed separately in federal court. Prosecutors have not announced a trial date, and investigators have not said whether additional charges could be filed as the review of the Raleigh shooting continues. Raleigh police said the officer who fired during the Feb. 19 exchange has been cleared to return to duty.
For residents near Woodbend Drive, the shooting left a lingering sense of shock that a violent arrest attempt unfolded on a normally quiet street. Neighbors described seeing police tape, hearing about an officer being hurt, and watching the response stretch through the evening as investigators worked the scene. Officials have not said how long officers expected to stay in the area that night, but they said the immediate danger ended once Owens was arrested.
The case now moves on two tracks, with detectives continuing to build the Garner homicide investigation while agencies review the officer-involved shooting in Raleigh and federal prosecutors pursue the gun charge. Authorities have said they will provide updates as court proceedings advance and as investigative reviews are completed.
Author note: Last updated February 27, 2026.