No warning signs from Cumberland County gunman before shootout
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Family members said Thursday that the man who went on a Cumberland County shooting rampage Wednesday was not the person they knew before it happened.
When it was over, three people were dead and three sheriff's deputies were hurt.
The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said the incident began with a domestic dispute between 41-year-old Andrew Michaelis and his wife, 41-year-old Valerie Michaelis.
When the woman sought refuge at her father's home at the Crystal Springs Mobile Home Park, Michaelis started shooting into the home, killing 61-year-old Gary Simpson and his grandson, 10-year-old Trekwan Covington.
Michaelis fired from a vehicle, and came back to the home three times. Deputies said, in all, he fired some 60 rounds from an AR-15 rifle.
"He was just firing at random like everywhere. I guess spraying the whole trailer," said Cumberland County Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler.
On the third time he returned, deputies, who were now inside the home, were struck by gunfire. Two were wounded and a third was slightly hurt when a bullet hit her utility belt.
Deputies then chased Michaelis through the woods where he died in a shootout.
Thursday, his family was trying to come to terms with what happened. They said before the shooting, Michaelis did not seem like a person capable of such violence and had showed no warning signs of what was to come.
"He was just always willing to give back. He was the sweetest person. That's why I cannot begin to understand what happened - what was going through his mind. The person yesterday, the person that we saw, that was not him," offered Ashley Simpson - whose grandfather died in the shooting.
Gary Frank Simpson II - the grandson of Gary Simpson - said the family knew the shooter as "Jay".
"I don't know what possessed Jay to do this. Jay has always been family. He didn't do nothing. He's just always laid back - chill. You know you can talk to him about anything. Like with me, he used to strive me to do better and make sure I had my life set, and I always saw him as a second father. He'd always lecture me like my granddad did," he explained.
Deputy Joshua LaFave, 25, was most seriously wounded. He was shot in the chest, back, and shoulder during the shootout. He was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Doctors were able to remove the bullet that was lodged in his back. He was last listed in stable condition.
Deputy Angelica Condesaavedra, 36, received a graze wound to her head. She was treated and released from a local hospital.
Deputy Jamie McLeod, 25, suffered bruising along her torso after a bullet struck her duty belt and became lodged there. She suffered minor bruising and was treated at a local medical facility for scrapes to her knee.
Deputy Travis Knotts, 27, was grazed on the leg by a stray bullet during the gunfire. He was treated at the scene.
