RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. -- One man is dead after being shot by a Randolph County Sheriff's Deputy on August 12.
- The Deputy was reportedly patrolling on Joe Branson Road when he saw a tractor driving dangerously in the middle of the road
- The deputy attempted to pull the driver but instead they kept going, and eventually turning toward the direction of the deputy.
- According to authorities, it was at this time the deputy began to fire, fearing the nearly 7,000-pound machine could roll over his car and kill him.
The Deputy was reportedly patrolling on Joe Branson Road when he saw a tractor driving dangerously in the middle of the road without its headlights on.
The deputy attempted to pull the driver but instead they kept going. The tractor ended up driving through a yard, causing damage, and eventually turning toward the direction of the deputy.
The tractor then began ramming into the patrol car almost rolling it over. According to authorities, it was at this time the deputy began to fire, fearing the nearly 7,000-pound machine could roll over his car and kill him.
The driver of the tractor has been identified as Cole Steele Jessup.
Spectrum News spoke with Jessup's father who said, "I don't think it's right they shot my son five times, especially because he wasn't armed or nothing, and he was on a tractor that might run 20 miles an hour. He'll be missed, not forgotten."
The tractor was identified as stolen from an area close to where the incident took place. The deputy was not injured and the State Bureau of Investigation is investigating.