Bodies of N.C. couple found in pickup involved in police shootout

LEWISBURG, W.Va., Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Investigators searching a pickup truck involved in a shootout with police in West Virginia found the bodies of a North Carolina couple.

A father and son pair were arrested Thursday after exchanging gunfire with Lewisburg police.

Two officers pulled over a white Chevrolet SUV driven by 21-year-old Eric Alexander Campbell at about 4 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 64 because the vehicle's North Carolina license plate had been reported stolen, West Virginia state police said in a news release.

During the stop, a red pickup truck driven by Eric's father, Edward Watson Campbell, 54, pulled up. Edward allegedly exited the truck and began firing at the officers, shooting one in the chest and neck, and the other in the back. A bullet also grazed the second officer's head.

One of the officers returned fire, hitting Edward in the leg, police said.

Both men fled, Edward on foot and Eric in the SUV. Both were arrested, with Eric surrendering after crashing through a guardrail.

The bodies of Jerome Faulkner, 73, and his wife Dora, 62, were found in the pickup truck, which was allegedly stolen from their North Carolina home.

The Campbells allegedly invaded the Faulkners' home, set it on fire and stole their pickup, Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins said. Wilkins said investigators had not determined if the house was a random target and had not determined if the couple died in the attack or were killed later.

Eric and Edward Campbell are both from Alvin, Texas.