Johnston County deputy who fired multiple shots at fleeing suspect terminated

PRINCETON, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Johnston County deputy who fired his weapon multiple times after his patrol car was struck by a stolen vehicle has been fired.

The Johnston County Sheriff's Office said Friday that it had concluded its internal investigation of the incident and Christopher Adcock's appointment as a deputy has been terminated, Sheriff Steve Bizzell said.

The Johnston County District Attorney's Office has requested that the NC State Bureau of Investigation conduct a criminal investigation regarding this incident.

It happened about 12:30 a.m. Monday as a police chase ended in a field near the 400 block of Fellowship Church Road close to Princeton.

The stolen car struck the sheriff's vehicle and the deputy inside fired his service weapon after the collision but did not hit anyone.

The driver of the stolen vehicle got out of the car and fled on foot, managing to escape authorities.

READ THE FULL TERMINATION LETTER (.pdf)

In a termination letter released Friday, Bizzell wrote that he had determined that Adcock "violated established policies and procedures" of the sheriff's office and that he had failed to comply with applicable law.

The sheriff noted that Adock fired five shots while sitting inside his patrol car at fleeing, seemingly unarmed suspects who posed no immediate threat to the deputy's safety.

He also noted another law enforcement officer was pursuing the suspects and that the shots fired could have struck the fellow officer as well as the suspects.

One of the suspects was in "close proximity" and attempting to surrender, Bizzell said, but Adcock failed to recognize what was happening around him.

Bizzell wrote that Adcock "utterly failed" to comply with the policies and training that he had established and directed.

Adcock's termination is effective immediately, but he does have 10 days to offer in writing any further material or evidence in a "name-clearing" procedure.