Deputies respond to suicidal person call, shoot man who ran and refused to drop guns: Sheriff

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- A man is dealing with serious, but non-life threatening injuries after Johnston County Sheriff's Office said he was shot by deputies when he refused to drop weapons he was holding.

On Tuesday at around 9:30 p.m., deputies were sent to Bright Leaf Drive in Clayton for a report of a suicidal person.

A second 911 call from the same caller stated that a family member was armed and threatening to harm himself and shoot responding deputies.

When deputies arrived, the man ran into a field behind the home with multiple guns. Deputies tried to talk with the man who they say did not comply with demands to let go of the guns.

That's when two deputies fired their weapons at the suspect.

The man was taken to WakeMed for treatment.

Both deputies were placed on paid administrative leave, which is also standard protocol.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has started an independent investigation.

Answering the Call

"It's one of the worst situations that we can go into. At the same time, that's what we signed up for, and there's no one else to go into that situation but us," said Jason Armstrong, who formerly served as Police Chief in Apex prior to retiring last year.

Armstrong shared how authorities approach these environments.

"Can we apply every tactic and every option available to us to minimize the potential for harm or loss of life in that space, not just for the officers, but for the individual that is involved," Armstrong explained.

Armstrong, who now serves as a law enforcement consultant, acknowledged the value of adding mental health resources within departments to help respond in such situations, though added it does provide a difficult balance.

"As police leaders, one of the things that we've wrestled with is how we can insert these (mental health providers) because we know the need is there for their services, but we also have a responsibility to keep these individuals safe, and they do not go through the same training that our officers do in how to be able to protect themselves in the worst of the worst situations," said Armstrong.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the State Bureau of Investigation told ABC 11 agents are actively working the case, but had no further information to share.

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