Vance County sheriff says man threatened to kill deputy before deadly shooting

HENDERSON, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Vance County Sheriff's Office said Monday that the suspect shot and killed by a deputy on Saturday threatened the officer as he was trying to take him into custody.

It happened shortly before noon on West Young Avenue and Hargrove Street in Henderson.

The man was shot during the incident and was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries, the sheriff's office confirmed.

ABC11 spoke with Mae Bullock, who said her boyfriend Johnny Mayfield was the man shot by deputies. Bullock said she is seven months pregnant with their son.

"I was excited to see him be a dad, I was excited of us having a big dream of a bigger house, everything," she said.

Bullock said she was with Mayfield on Saturday morning when the chase began. She said she was having pregnancy pains and she and Mayfield were pulled over heading to the hospital at WakeMed, but she said they were pulled over along Highway 1 in the Kittrell area, and when police ran his tags and asked for his information, they discovered active warrants.

'He got out and jumped'

Sheriff Curtis Brame said Mayfield was initially pulled over for speeding and had outstanding arrest orders for assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon.

Brame added that Mayfield was out on a $185,000 bond in Vance County for charges including robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a stolen firearm.

Separately, he faced pending charges for felony larceny of a motor vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury.

Bullock said she hoped they could figure out a solution, but things escalated.

"He got out and jumped over the median, and police were chasing him with a gun," Bullock said. She said Mayfield then got back in the car, and drove off, leaving her behind on the side of the road alone, where she said no one helped her.

The sheriff's office confirmed her account. At a media briefing Monday, Brame said, "Mayfield ran across numerous lanes and oncoming traffic on US 1 and returned to his vehicle, into the driver's seat of his vehicle and continued (to flee) in a vehicle from the deputy.".

Bullock had gotten out of the car and was not involved in the pursuit; in a brief off-camera conversation Monday afternoon with ABC 11, Bullock placed blame on the deputy, not Mayfield, for her remaining on the highway.

The deputy pursued Mayfield north into Henderson. The chase ended when Mayfield wrecked his car on West Bell Street. He got out and ran.

Dramatic, deadly ending to chase

According to the sheriff's office, the deputy ran after him and Mayfield turned and walked toward the deputy with a glass bottle in his hand and said, "I'm going to kill you."

In response, the deputy pulled out his gun and started to back away from Mayfield, when he stumbled and fell on his back. The sheriff's office said Mayfield then broke the glass bottle and again said "I'm going to kill you" and he approached the deputy.

As the deputy regained his footing, Mayfield lunged at him with the broken bottle and the deputy fired his service weapon, striking Mayfield, the sheriff's office said.

"The distance (between Mayfield and the deputy at the time of the shooting) I do not know. Whether it was five feet, 10 feet, 20 feet, I do not know," said Brame.

The shots can be heard on a video recorded by a neighbor. Another neighbor saw Mayfield on the ground.

"Whether he jumped out and ran or not, he didn't deserve to be gunned down the way he did," a neighbor told ABC11.

Bullock acknowledged that Mayfield had a criminal past but didn't understand why this had to escalate.

"They didn't have no reason to shoot him, he didn't have a gun, no drugs, no nothing, nothing was on him," Bullock said.

Brame said that Mayfield did not have any other weapon on him besides the broken glass bottle.

The deputy reported over the radio that shots had been fired and requested emergency assistance. He and other units attempted life-saving measures until EMS units arrived.

Family seeks answers; investigation underway

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has been notified and is leading the investigation into the incident.

The deputy has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure, pending the results of the SBI.

Brame did not release the name of the deputy, though he said the deputy joined the sheriff's office in 2023 and has a clean disciplinary record. He was working alone at the time of the encounter with Mayfield.

Brame said he will petition the court for the release of body-worn camera and dash-cam footage.

Before Monday's news conference, Brame spoke with Mayfield's family, including Bullock.

Mayfield's sister told ABC11 that the family continues to seek more information and wants to see the video and Mayfield's body. Further, she said they asked Brame about the office's use of force policy and had questions about the handling of Mayfield's warrants, telling ABC11 he had been in court just days earlier.

Bullock said she plans to name their unborn child in honor of Mayfield.

"My baby's name will be Jacari Lee Mayfield," said Bullock.

ABC11's Tom George contributed to this report.