RICHMOND COUNTY, N.C. — An assistant fire chief was shot while responding to a fire alarm call in Richmond County early Monday morning, according to a spokesperson for the Ellerbe Fire Department.
The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Green Lake Road in Ellerbe.
The assistant fire chief was flown to a hospital in Chapel Hill for treatment.
Court documents say Timothy Hayden is charged with two counts of assaulting emergency personnel and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
Hayden used an AR-15-style rifle, documents say. Hayden is being held at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office under no bond.
Channel 9’s Eli Brand spoke to Ellerbe Fire Chief Will Barber about the shooting.
“I mean, you just absolutely never know what you’re walking into,” Barber said. “I mean the world we live in. It’s hard to imagine.”
The assistant fire chief, who has not been named, is expected to be okay.
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