Roger Smith was a 59-year-old officer with the WakeMed Campus Police & Public Safety Department who died on the morning of Saturday, November 8, 2025, after being shot during a confrontation in the WakeMed Garner Healthplex emergency department lobby in Garner, North Carolina. A disturbance in the lobby escalated into a physical struggle in which a gun was produced; both Smith and the suspect were struck. Smith died despite immediate medical efforts and transport for further treatment.

Investigators identified a single suspect, 29-year-old Garner resident Benji Martin Jr., who was also shot during the struggle and was under medical supervision at WakeMed while in custody. After consultation with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, Martin was charged with murder; some reports specified first-degree murder. Police said there was no continuing threat and no additional suspects have been named.

Smith had served roughly three decades in law enforcement, including 16 years with the Knightdale Police Department and more than a decade at WakeMed. Colleagues and officials described him as a calm, compassionate presence in hospital corridors whose final actions protected patients and visitors. If anyone was at the WakeMed Garner Healthplex that morning or has information about the incident, please share what was seen or heard.