Hours-long North Carolina standoff leaves 5 dead, including 2 deputies
WATAUGA, North Carolina — Five people are dead, including two North Carolina sheriff’s deputies, after a check on a person who did not show up for work ended in gunfire and a 13-hour standoff, authorities said Thursday.
Watauga County Sheriff K-9 Deputy Logan Fox died at the scene in the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Boone, and Sgt. Chris Ward died after being flown to a local hospital, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The deputies were shot after entering the home. They were responding to a call for a welfare check Wednesday after the homeowner’s employer reported that the person did not show up for work and was not answering their phone, according to the statement.
A Boone Police Department officer was also struck by gunfire while attempting to rescue the downed deputies but his protective gear prevented injury, the statement said.
The unidentified shooting suspect and the suspect’s mother and stepfather are also dead, according to Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman, CNN affiliate WSOC reported.
Gov. Roy Cooper, in a statement, said he had spoken with Hagaman to offer condolences and assistance.
“We grieve for Sgt. Chris Ward, K-9 Deputy Logan Fox and the entire Watauga County law enforcement community today after these tragic deaths in the line of duty,” Cooper said. “These horrific shootings that claimed lives and loved ones show the ever-present danger law enforcement can encounter in the line of duty.”
The standoff ended shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday, the statement said.
“This is an incredibly tragic situation and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved as well as their families and our community,” Hagaman said in a statement.
The investigation is being led by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
The shooter had barricaded in the home and occasionally fired in the direction of law enforcement officers, according to the statement.
Nearby residents were evacuated.
More than a dozen law enforcement agencies responded.
