Two people were shot, one killed, in separate shootings by deputies on opposite sides of North Carolina Wednesday. In both cases, men fired guns at deputies before being shot.
Deputies in Bertie County, in the northeast corner of the state, shot and killed a man as they tried to service an involuntary commitment order. A separate shooting in Mt. Airy, in the foothills, came as deputies were serving a domestic violence restraining order. The man in that case suffered minor injuries.
A man was shot and killed by deputies in Bertie County Wednesday morning, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies said they were trying to serve an involuntary commitment order on 28-year-old Tyshawn Barnes, who had fired shots at Bernie County deputies in a 2019 incident.
Deputies told Barnes to come out of a home, but Barnes walked out with a gun. Deputies said Barnes "displayed a firearm in the direction of the deputies and appeared to be attempting to discharge the firearm."
It happened at a home on Sierra Lane in Windsor.
Barnes went back into the home when the gun didn't fire, the sheriff's office said, before coming back out and shooting at them. Deputies fired back and shot Barnes, according to the Bertie County Sheriff's Office. Barnes was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Today’s unfortunate circumstances are never the outcomes we wish for. Mental health illnesses are more rampant than ever across the country and working to help people in their time of mental crisis is something we work tirelessly for every day," the Bertie County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook.
Barnes' next of kin have been notified of his death. The deputies involved have been placed on administrative leave, per standard protocol. The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating.
Deputies shot a man who fired a gun at then as they tries to serve a domestic restraining order Wednesday, according to the Surry County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said they attempted to serve the order for 63-year-old Roger Payne at a home on West Imogene Church Road, but Payne barricaded himself inside the home when authorities arrived.
"After initial attempts to negotiate with Mr. Payne were unsuccessful, the situation escalated when Mr. Payne fired shots," officials said. Deputies said they returned fire, and Payne was injured but is expected to be OK.
Payne was treated by medical officials at the scene before going to Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Payne was taken into custody at the Surry County Detention Center after being released from the hospital.
No deputies were injured in the shooting.
“We are committed to the safety of our community and our deputies,” said Sheriff Steve Hiatt. “Our deputies are trained to respond with the appropriate level of force in highly dangerous situations like this, and we are thankful that no deputies were harmed.”
The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating.
Payne was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill an emergency worker, assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm and resisting a public officer. He is being held under a $200,000 bond.