Friends say man charged in WakeMed officer’s death was a gentle person in crisis
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Benji Martin Jr. sought emergency help after a mental breakdown before shooting.
- Police say Officer Smith confronted Martin during a disturbance and was fatally shot.
- Friends report family illness, pregnancy loss and travel pressure before incident.
A man accused of shooting a WakeMed police officer on Saturday went to the emergency room looking for help after suffering a mental breakdown, friends told the News & Observer.
Garner police said Benji Martin Jr., 29, is charged with murder in the death of 59-year-old WakeMed campus police officer Roger Smith.
Smith was shot around 9 a.m. Saturday while struggling with Martin at WakeMed Garner Healthplex on U.S. 70 in Garner, police said.
Martin was also shot. Friends on Monday said he was in surgery for several hours after the shooting and remained in the hospital.
Martin was under enormous stress prior to the incident, said Sam Hadi, who described himself as Martin’s best friend for 20 years. Martin’s grandmother in South Carolina is in failing health, and he had been traveling between Garner and South Carolina to visit with her, Hadi said.
Last week, Martin’s fiancée, who was pregnant with twins, lost one of the babies, Hadi said. She lost the second baby on Saturday while Martin was in surgery and remains in serious condition at a hospital in Greensboro, he said.
Martin was supposed to see her that day, but had a mental breakdown from the pressure, Hadi said.
Two friends took Martin to the Garner emergency department Saturday morning to get help, Hadi said he was told. They checked Martin in and were trying to calm him down when staff called security, he said. Police said Smith, who had worked at the hospital for 14 years, responded to the disturbance.
Hadi said he arrived at WakeMed Healthplex about 15 minutes after a friend called about the shooting. He declined to share more details, saying Martin’s lawyer advised his friends to limit their public comments. Police have not said what led to the shooting.
“Benji hurt nobody. He didn’t physically touch the nurses, and when the video comes out, you are going to see that,” Hadi said, referring to the possibility of security and police body camera recordings.
Friends say Martin was gentle, talented
The N&O spoke with 11 of Martin’s friends Monday, all of whom praised his hard work and gentle demeanor. They said they were shocked about what happened and don’t think the whole story is being told. Friends and family have since mounted a campaign to have any video footage from emergency department and police body cameras released.
Hadi said he met Martin in elementary school, and they grew up together in the Belmont Ridge neighborhood in Garner. He worked with Martin for the last 10 years, Hadi said, including for the Hadi family’s garage door services company in Raleigh.
Martin was a 2014 graduate of Garner Magnet High School, where he played varsity football and was involved in dance, friends said. He was also an honors student, Hadi said.
In 2019, Martin graduated from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, majoring in dance performance, the university said. He performed in 2016 and 2018 with “The Lost Colony,” a long-running theater production in Manteo.
Rachel Petherbridge danced with Martin for many years, including at the CenterStage School of the Performing Arts in Garner, she said.
They stayed in touch when she moved away and visited on her return trips to North Carolina. Last summer, they spent a weekend with friends in Myrtle Beach, she said. Martin is the kind of guy who grabs snacks at the store for everyone and enjoys intellectual conversations, she said.
“He is just the kindest, most gentle human being,” she said. “The fact that this has happened is beyond belief to the point that I cannot in good conscience, as a friend that has known him for over 15 years, believe this is the whole story.”
Sam Hadi’s brother Bassam Hadi contributed $1,000 Monday to a GoFundMe account to help Martin’s family and hire an attorney.
“It’s sad for both sides. No one wishes that on anyone. I’m sorry for the officer’s family. Sorry for Benji, as well,” Bassam Hadi said. “I wish all of it could have been avoided.”
The GoFundMe was taken down late Monday night, and Martin’s friends started a new campaign Tuesday. Friends did not respond to The N&O’s requests for more information about what happened to the original campaign page.
Fatal shooting investigation continues
Garner police have shared few details about what led to the shooting Saturday but said Smith protected others from harm.
In an email Tuesday, police spokesman Capt. David Casteline responded to Martin’s friends’ concerns by saying more information could be provided “tomorrow and not today.”
“We are reviewing information in this case with all the agencies involved in this investigation and (making) sure that we only provide factual information after evidence is gathered and analyzed by professionals. We utilize physical evidence and not just witness statements in our process of piecing the puzzle pieces together,” Casteline said.
Martin could be released from the hospital this week, said Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. He will then be officially charged and taken to the Wake County jail.
Court records show Martin did not have any previous criminal charges. He got a ticket in October for having an expired license plate and no current vehicle inspection in Louisburg, records show. Sam Hadi said he got the ticket while driving a company van.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation is assisting Garner police with the investigation.
A WakeMed statement Saturday said “our hearts are broken, and we grieve along with Officer Smith’s family, loved ones, colleagues and friends.”
“He will be remembered for his compassion, his dedication to others, his kind smile, his friendship and his heroism,” the statement said.
Staff writers Twumasi Duah-Mensah and T. Keung Hui contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 10:47 AM.
