Bodies Found in Truck After W. Va. Highway Shootout

2 suspects in custody; 2 cops injured
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 1, 2015 11:48 PM CST
Updated Jan 2, 2015 3:30 AM CST
Bodies Found in Truck After W. Va Highway Shootout
Lewisburg police stopped one vehicle after spotting stolen license plates.   (tleta1402)

After an SUV and a pickup truck were pulled over at a traffic stop outside of Lewisburg, West Virginia, yesterday, the driver of the truck opened fire on police before fleeing the scene and investigators soon discovered why: The bodies of a North Carolina couple whose house burned down yesterday morning were under a mattress in the back of the truck, reports WDBJ7. Two officers—one of whom graduated from the police academy just two weeks ago—were injured in the shootout but they are both expected to survive. One officer was hit in the ribs but was wearing a protective vest, while the other was grazed by a bullet, reports NBC.

The SUV driver fled and hid during the shootout but soon turned himself in; the pickup driver, who was wounded in the leg, was captured about 90 minutes later in woods off Interstate 64, the AP reports. The suspects are from Texas and claim to be father and son, say police, who stopped the SUV after spotting stolen North Carolina plates. The victims found in the back of the truck have been identified as Jerome Faulkner, 73 and his wife, Dora Faulkner, 62. Police, who haven't found any connection between the couple and the suspects, believe the men set their home on fire before stealing their pickup truck, reports WNCN. It's not clear if the couple were killed during the initial attack or some time later. (More West Virginia stories.)

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