They say Patrick Tracy Burris was the man responsible for shooting five people to death in a killing spree that has terrorized residents in and around Gaffney.

He was shot by police responding to a burglary complaint in Gastonia, N.C., early Monday. They say bullets in his gun matched those used to kill residents in and around Gaffney some 30 miles away.

Authorities did not immediately say where Burris was from.

North Carolina prison records show the 41-year-old served more than seven years for felony breaking and entering and larceny. He has a lengthy record.

Terry and Michael Valentine called police to Dallas-Spencer Mountain Road around 3 a.m. when they saw a suspicious vehicle pull into the driveway across the street. Officers arrived and followed three people into the house. Two were the homeowners and the third, according to the Valentines, fits the sketch of the Gaffney killer.

"He was about 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-4, stocky build and he had a cap on," Terry Valentine said.

Police say a vehicle at the scene also matched the description of the vehicle associated with the Gaffney suspect.

During the interview process, officers began to check the individuals for identification, and one provided false information. A second check on the suspect individual uncovered an outstanding warrant from Lincoln County. Officers attempted to serve the outstanding warrant when the suspect pulled his gun.

Officials say officers got into a confrontation with the suspect inside the home, leading to Officer J.K. Shaw getting shot by the suspect in the leg. Shaw returned fire, killing the suspect. The wounded officer was treated and released from a local hospital.

Shaw, along with officers K.L. Williamson and G.J. Kuzia are placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

As detectives investigated the scene in Gaston County, people in Gaffney kept their doors locked and the killer's sketch was posted in business windows.

"The mood is terror, not trusting anyone, just afraid," explained Gaffney resident Nita Poole.

The sketch of the man, who is believed to have killed five people in Gaffney, is also posted on the North Carolina Highway Patrol’s bulletin board.

"Awareness is the key and we try to form a partnership with other agencies like that in South Carolina and increase our patrol," Trooper David Ferguson said.

Valentine told police she heard the gunfire exchanged between the officer and the suspect.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.