North Carolina News – September 11

DEPUTY KILLED-SUSPECT

North Carolina deputy shot to death; suspect killed

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina say a sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot by a break-in suspect, and that the suspect was then killed when other deputies returned fire. News outlets report 35-year-old Henderson County Deputy Ryan Hendrix died Thursday afternoon, hours after being shot when he and other deputies responded to a call about a vehicle break-in. Sheriff Lowell Griffin said a homeowner noticed someone breaking into a car. Griffin said the man and the homeowner exchanged gunfire before deputies arrived. The sheriff said the suspect appeared to comply with commands to show his hands before shooting Hendrix in the face.

BC-NC-VIRUS OUTBREAK- SOUTHPARK TURKEY TROT

Charlotte’s SouthPark Turkey Trot will now be virtual only

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — What is said to be the largest road running event in North Carolina has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Charlotte Observer reported Friday that Charlotte’s annual SouthPark Turkey Trot will now be virtual only. The event has become a family tradition and draws about 9,000 participants on Thanksgiving Day. The race is now in its 32nd year. SouthPark Turkey Trot organizers said in a news release that “COVID-19 continues to challenge our community and nation.” They said that participants can still register for this year’s event and walk or run at home.

AP-NC-ASHEVILLE-POLICE RESIGNATIONS

‘Unprecedented’ number of Asheville officers have resigned

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Thirty one police officers in the western North Carolina city of Asheville have resigned from the force since June. Police Chief David Zack told The Citizen Times on Thursday that the number is “unprecedented.” The resignations amount to loss of more than one sworn officer for every ten in the force of 283 – or 13% of the force. Zack attributed the departures to a lack of support and a “very vocal” opposition to law enforcement following the death of a Black man in Minneapolis police custody earlier this year. But proponents of a local movement to defund police say that they have been the victims of violence for centuries.

MOONSHINE BUST

Boozy bust: Driver pulled over with 20 jugs of ‘moonshine’

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State Highway Patrol says a trooper pulled over a speeding driver and found they were hauling 20 gallons of home-brewed liquor in plastic jugs. The agency said this week that when troopers pulled over the motorist about 70 miles south of Raleigh in Cumberland County, they discovered the driver was stowing a stash of “suspected moonshine” in the car, along with a gun. The state Alcohol Law Enforcement division seized the bootleg booze and launched an investigation. The suspect hasn’t been identified and the agency didn’t say whether they were charged. The homemade alcohol is known to be stronger than liquor manufactured by federal standards.

FELONS-VOTING-NORTH-CAROLINA

AG: N. Carolina board won’t appeal ruling on felons voting

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s elections board won’t try to stop enforcement of a court ruling that would allow more convicted felons to vote this fall, but legislators still could appeal last week’s decision. Attorney General Josh Stein’s office represents the State Board of Elections in the litigation and announced the board’s decision on Thursday. Some judges declared that felony offenders who’ve completed their prison time, probation or parole can’t be prevented from registering to vote if fines or restitution still must be paid. Legislative leaders are still evaluating an appeal. Convicted felons and groups that help ex-offenders sued over a state law from the 1970s.

POLICE SHOOTING-SUSPECT KILLED

Suspect killed, North Carolina deputy wounded in shooting

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy has been critically wounded and a suspect killed during an exchange of gunfire. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy has been hospitalized following the encounter just before 3 a.m. Thursday near Hendersonville. News outlets say deputies responded to a neighborhood on a car break-in report in which a caller said a homeowner and suspect had been shooting at each other. Officials say the suspect started shooting at them, wounding a deputy before other officers returned fire and struck the suspect. The State Bureau of Investigation and the sheriff’s office are investigating. The deputy and the suspect haven’t been identified.

AP-US-INTERSTATE-CHASE-SHOOTING

Prosecutor: Man who shot cars on I-95 faces federal charge

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A prosecutor says a driver accused of shooting at random cars on a North Carolina highway over the weekend is facing a federal firearms charge. U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr., said Thursday that 33-year-old Franklin Joseph Dangerfield of Ladson, South Carolina, is charged with possessing an unregistered short-barrel shotgun. Dangerfield was arrested after a high-speed chase that began Saturday evening in southern North Carolina’s Nash County and ended across the North Carolina-Virginia state line. Higdon says one person was shot in the shoulder and another person was hit in the face by shattered glass. A deputy was also injured.

PARATROOPER KILLED

Fort Bragg paratrooper dies in training accident in Georgia

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) — Officials for a North Carolina army base confirm that a paratrooper has died in a training accident in Georgia. News outlets quoted 82nd Airborne Division Lt. Col. Mike Burns as saying that the paratrooper was assigned to Fort Bragg in North Carolina but was at Georgia’s Fort Stewart at the time of the accident. Officials said Thursday that the paratrooper will be identified after family members are notified. No other information about the accident has been released.