HARMONY, N.C. — An Iredell County Sheriff’s Office deputy was involved in a shooting incident outside a Family Dollar store Monday afternoon.
The shooting occurred shortly after 3:30 p.m. when the deputy responded to a call about a suspect’s welfare.
Upon arrival, the deputy encountered the suspect armed with an edged weapon attempting to enter the store.
Sheriff Darren Campbell stated that the deputy positioned his vehicle in front of the store entrance to prevent the suspect from entering and protect the public.
The suspect ignored multiple commands to drop the weapon, leading the deputy to deploy a taser, which was ineffective.
“The individual suspect came toward the deputy. The taser was deployed. The taser does not appear to be effective at that time,” said Campbell. “We hate and end up in a shooting situation. Thoughts and prayers with everybody involved. But at that time. I’m so happy that he was in a position to make sure that the community was safe.”
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As the suspect continued toward the store entrance, the deputy discharged his firearm, striking the suspect.
The suspect was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem in stable condition. The deputy involved was not injured during the encounter.
“Our deputies are trained to make split-second decisions in the interest of public safety,” Campbell said. “In this case, the deputy prevented an armed individual from entering a store with innocent customers.”
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been contacted to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting.
The deputy has been placed on paid leave pending an administrative investigation.
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