Judge OK's seeking death penalty in trooper's fatal shooting

WHITEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A judge has signed off on a prosecutor's plan to seek the death penalty for a young adult accused in a North Carolina trooper's shooting death.

Multiple news outlets report Superior Court Judge Douglas Sasser made the decision during Friday's court hearing Friday for 18-year-old Chauncey Askew. He's charged with first-degree murder in the October death of Trooper Kevin Conner. District Attorney Jon David announced earlier his plans to seek capital punishment.

Authorities say the shooting occurred along U.S. Highway 701, when a pickup truck was stopped for a speeding violation. Conner died at the hospital. Askew was arrested later in South Carolina.