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Police arrest man accused of shooting Statesville officer in back

STATESVILLE, N.C. — Statesville police said they have arrested the man who shot a police officer in the back while he was patrolling a neighborhood.

Police said Keith Eugene Lackey, 21, is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and discharging a firearm in the city limits.

Officers said they made the arrest Tuesday morning on Island Ford Road, several days after Officer Tyler Horn was shot.

Statesville Police Chief Joe Barone praised his department and the State Bureau of Investigation after the arrest.

“I commend both our officers and the community for working together.  The community’s cooperation was of great help in obtaining the information we needed to develop a suspect and make today’s arrest,” Barone said in a statement.

Barone said his heart sank when he got the call saying an officer has been shot Friday night.

“We are like family here and their welfare is important to me. I can’t thank them enough for the job they do for our city,” Barone said.

Horn was released from the hospital Saturday. Police had said his bulletproof vest saved his life.

Lackey was taken to the Iredell County Jail, where bond was set at $3 million.

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