News

Sgt. Hipps 'resting comfortably' after surgery

By Bill Moss, Published: July 14, 2014

A Hendersonville police sergeant was "resting comfortably" after surgery today and was expected to be released from the hospital later this week after a stabbing Sunday afternoon that resulted in officers shooting and killing the assailant, a police spokesman said.

Sgt. Kenny Hipps underwent surgery at Mission Health hospital in Asheville Monday, less than 24 hours after an assailant stabbed him in an upstairs apartment at 145 Third Avenue West in downtown Hendersonville.
Hipps was listed in fair but stable condition after surgery, said Capt. Bruce Simonds of the Hendersonville Police Department. "The investigation is being taken over by the SBI," he said. "For any officer-involved shooting, they are investigating."
Hipps said it's not known for sure who fired the shots that killed Adrian Eugene King, the 46-year-old man police say wielded the knife that slashed Hipps acoss the belly. Responding with Hipps was Officer Jennifer Drake.
"There was two there and two shots," Simonds said. "We don't know who hit" King. "That will be part of the SBI investigation. The investigation by the SBI is coming along pretty good. They've got their procedures to follow and they've got to send it to Raleigh. They've still got to interview some witnesses and Sgt. Hipps. We're just rallying around our people and letting them know we support them."
The assailant stabbed Hipps in the abdomen under his bullet-proof vest. He was armed with "a knife big enough to cause extensive damage and injury to the officer," Police Chief Herbert Blake told WLOS-TV. "We know that our officers are very professional. We don't like use-of-force situations but this was a case where the officers had to use force and we have an officer injured because of that."
Hipps, who was named the department's officer of the year in March, was transported to the Pardee Hospital emergency room and later taken by ambulance to Mission Health. Once he is released, he will be "on light duty or out of work for the upcoming future," Simonds said.