Two North Carolina sheriff’s deputies have died after a 13-hour standoff Wednesday with a shooter who barricaded inside of a home.
News first broke Wednesday evening that two deputies had been shot at a home in Boone, N.C., which was followed early Thursday by multiple reports saying that Watauga County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Ward died at Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City, Tenn., after being wounded by gunfire.
The sheriff’s office later confirmed to the Charlotte Observer that Deputy Logan Fox was also shot and died at the scene.
Authorities said that three others were also killed in the standoff, including the suspected shooter and his parents, according to local NBC affiliate station WXII-TV.
The sheriff’s office has not yet identified the shooter or the two others killed.
WXII-TV reported that a Boone police officer was shot in the head at the standoff, but a helmet protected them from harm.
Sheriff Len Hagaman said in a statement to the Observer, “This is an incredibly tragic situation and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved as well as their families and our community.”
“I greatly appreciate the tremendous support we are receiving from law enforcement agencies across the region and the state,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to the sheriff’s office for additional information.
The hours-long standoff occurred after Ward and Fox were called to the home in Boone, about 100 miles northwest of Charlotte, to conduct a wellness check on a family that did not go to work or respond to phone calls Wednesday.
Authorities said that upon arriving at the home, they found all of the family’s vehicles outside.
After they entered the home, a shooter then opened fire on the officers, striking two of them.
Nearby residents were ordered to shelter in place as police departments from across the area arrived at the scene to assist in the standoff as the shooter remained in the home, periodically shooting at law enforcement at the scene.
North Carolina state police and SWAT operators, officers from multiple departments and deputies from neighboring counties arrived to help in the response, as well as the North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation.