Shootings in the United States continue to run rampage as a law enforcement officer was shot dead in Wake Country in North Carolina on early Friday morning. The dead officer is the fifth sheriff’s deputy in central North Carolina to be shot in the last 12 days and the sixth victim in Wake Country since July.

Friday morning’s Wake Country shooting took place around 1:30 am ET, nearby the Battle Bridge Road and Auburn Knightdale Road intersection, according to WRAL-TV. The location is also nearby the River Ridge Golf Club. The Wake County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that the victim succumbed to his injuries later.

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“The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is grieving after one of our own was fatally shot in the line of duty, earlier this morning,” the WCSO posted. “Please pray for this agency!” it added.

The name of the deputy who died as a result of Friday morning’s shooting is yet to be made public. The investigators are also yet to find a clue regarding the identity of the shooter.

“We will find who’s responsible for this loss. Even in the midst of the hurt and the pain, we ask for prayers, we ask for patience as we go about finding out what happened and who’s responsible,” Sheriff Baker of Wake Country said after the confirmation of the death of the deputy.

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Following the early morning shooting, authorities decided to increase the police presence in the area. However, it has not been figured out what prompted the shooting to take place in the first place.

Gun violence is on the rise in North Carolina and the Friday morning’s shooting came just days after another law enforcement officer, Caitlin Emanuel, of Sampson County Sheriff’s Office was shot in the line of duty the previous weekend. However, Caitlin Emanuel survived the incident and is currently recuperating from the injury.