An autopsy released this week lays out a grim sequence inside a Garner emergency room, concluding that the man accused in the WakeMed Garner shooting wrestled a campus police officer's gun away before fatally shooting him. The report identifies the officer as Roger Smith and says he went into cardiac arrest and died less than an hour after the struggle. The findings, part of a state autopsy released Apr. 15, 2026, add new detail to the Nov. 8, 2025 incident that rattled the Garner community.
Autopsy and 911 audio
According to WRAL, the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's report says 29-year-old Benji Martin wrestled Officer Smith's service weapon away and fired multiple rounds. A 911 recording obtained by the station captured six shots in the background.
The autopsy confirmed that two bullets struck Smith, one in his shoulder and one in his right thigh, and said he suffered cardiac arrest and died less than an hour after the shooting.
Scene and initial response
The Garner Police Department said the shooting happened about 9 a.m. on Nov. 8 in the emergency department lobby at WakeMed Garner Healthplex, where hospital staff and first responders tried to save Smith. Per a Garner Police statement published by Garner News, the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Benji Martin Jr., was also wounded and later booked on murder charges.
Court records sketch a troubled lead-up
Warrants and court filings reviewed by WRAL say friends told investigators Martin had been "acting erratically" and sending unusual texts the night before he arrived at WakeMed. The filings note Martin had worked at a THC and hemp store in Fuquay-Varina the night prior and that investigators are probing whether he had taken THC gummies around the time of the incident.
Legal status
A Wake County grand jury returned an indictment in early December charging Martin with murder, and he remains held in the county's detention system, court records show. ABC11 reports Martin's defense has said he went to the hospital seeking help and that his supporters want security video released.
Community reaction and context
Smith, 59, was remembered as a long-serving public safety officer and was honored in a November procession attended by scores of first responders. The News & Observer and other outlets note Martin's family has pressed for transparency and the release of hospital footage. Hoodline previously covered the initial killing in a roundup titled Garner Officer Killed on Duty.
